Shrouded in Darkness
by RoMaHazz
Summary: Toph's life as a blind girl, beginning with her birth and ending with her joining the Avatar. FINISHED!
1. Chapter 1

"It's a girl!" the midwife cried, motioning the waiting servants for a blanket. Poppy sighed, her flushed, sweaty face smiling with relief. Her husband Lao stood over her, beaming with pride as he looked at the tiny, black-haired infant. The little girl's cries brought great pleasure to them both, for this was their first child. The midwife wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her to Poppy, who gazed at her daughter's face with love. She was beautiful. 

The infant's cries were quieting down, and her tiny hands wrapped tightly around her father's finger. Lao chuckled with delight at her strong grip. "With strength like this, I will not be surprised if she is a powerful earthbender some day," he whispered to Poppy. He could only imagine the potential his new daughter could reach. What a life this child had in store! And he was determined to be there every step of the way. He had bragged to his servants that he would be the best father ever, and he intended to keep that promise.

The midwife took the baby again to bathe her and make sure she was healthy. The parents were left alone to bask in their pride. "What shall we name her?" asked Lao.

"I want our daughter's name to mean something," replied Poppy, "but I don't yet know what I want it to mean."

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The midwife gently bathed the infant, counting her fingers and toes and cooing to her. "Oh, yes, you're a pretty little girl, aren't you?" The midwife was pleased; the delivery was successful and without complication. She was more relieved than she allowed herself to show; her many years as a midwife had shown her that not all pregnancies ended successfully. More than one infant had died shortly after birth, and while she knew it was not her fault, it was difficult not to feel guilty. But there seemed to be no problem with this child. She was healthy, beautiful, and of course, the parents were thrilled. Nothing gave a midwife more joy than to see those three things. 

The girl was lifted from the water and wrapped in a clean blanket. The middle-aged woman picked up the lightweight bundle and got ready to bring her back to her parents. "Your parents are so proud of you already. You will go far in life; I can tell."

As if she could understand, the tiny baby opened her eyes. At first, the midwife mentally kicked herself for being the only one to witness the baby opening her eyes for the first time. This was a special occasion, and the parents should be the ones to see it, not her! But as she looked again, she noticed that something was not right. Poppy and Lao both had dark brown eyes; the baby had pale green eyes. Curious, the woman looked closer and noticed that her pupils were also strangely faded. In all her years delivering babies, she had never seen eyes like this.

A sinking realization came over the woman as she decided to perform a simple test. She grabbed a small lantern sitting nearby and held it closer to the infant, close enough for her to see it, but not close enough for it to burn her. Upon exposure to the bright light, the baby should have flinched away from the brightness, but instead, she did nothing; her eyes remained wide open, unfocused and blankly staring. 

The sinking realization became a full-blown horror. The baby was blind.

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Author's note: This is my first ever Avatar fanfic, and if you haven't guessed yet, it's all about Toph. It's going to be multi-chapter, and I plan to include stories about how she learned to earthbend, and about her origins as the Blind Bandit. Chapter 2 coming soon. Read and review, and be nice please!


	2. Chapter 2

"How about Toph? That's a lovely, strong-sounding name. Think about it: Toph Bei Fong. Doesn't it have a nice ring to…"

Lao's words were cut off when the midwife entered the room. "Ah, here's my little girl now!" He accepted the baby into his arms and practically danced all the way back to his wife. Poppy giggled at his antics; she had not seen him this ecstatic since their wedding day.

"Oh, please be careful with the baby when you're dancing like that. Don't you remember what happened with our wedding cake?"

Her husband laughed and gently handed the baby to her. "Of course I remember. Did your father ever get those stains out?"

The couple laughed at the memory while the midwife watched nervously. Poppy regained her composure and cooed to the baby. "Toph Bei Fong. Is that your name?" She looked at Lao and smirked. "You clever man. You've been thinking of that name for a long time, haven't you?"

Lao chuckled. "Of course I have, dear. I would have named her that even if she had been a boy."

The midwife could only watch in silence as the couple laughed together. _They are such a happy couple_, she thought. She hated to ruin their spirits, but informing the parents of a baby's birth defect was never an easy task.

She took a deep breath. Better for them to find out now than later. "Excuse me…Lao? Poppy? There's something I have to tell you…"

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Poppy stared at her daughter's pale eyes. "Are you sure?"

The midwife nodded. "She didn't even flinch against the light."

Baby Toph squirmed in her mother's arms, a pink hand gripping the edge of the blanket. Her eyes were wide open, searching for any form of light, but she received none. It pained Poppy to see her child like this. "Can nothing be done?" she asked desperately. The midwife only hanged her head in silence.

Poppy sighed; she had known it was a foolish question. A tear dripped off her chin as she looked back down at the baby; Toph jumped in genuine surprise as the cold tear landed on her face. Poppy clutched the baby tighter as her tears flowed. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry…"

The infant yawned. "She's getting sleepy," the midwife said gently. She took the baby and walked out of the room. "I'll put her down so she can rest." She shook her head sadly as she walked; what a tragedy to befall such young parents.

Poppy was still reeling from the shock. "Poor little Toph…what shall we do?" she sobbed. She looked at her husband for reassurance and was stunned at what she saw. The man that had been dancing with the baby only minutes before was now standing in a corner with a strange expression on his face. It seemed as though he was experiencing either numerous emotions at once or none at all…it was impossible to tell. Poppy had never seen him like this. "…Lao?" she asked, concerned.

Lao snapped out of his trance and briskly left the room without even glancing at his wife. It was then that Poppy realized…he had not said a single word since the midwife brought the news.

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Lao stumbled into his bedroom, his countless emotions overwhelming him. _Blind._ His hands balled into fists. _Blind!_ Their first child…a blind girl! _Why my daughter?_ How would they care for a blind child? How would she care for herself? _Why this?_ She would be completely helpless…how would she defend herself? The Fire Nation showed no mercy, and if they ever found his family…

His own words echoed in his mind. "I will not be surprised if she is a powerful earthbender someday." Lao growled; how could he have made such a foolish remark? No, it was not possible. Nothing was possible anymore. _Blind…Blind!_ His anguish was finally too much for him. He sank to the floor and slammed his fists against the ground.

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The vibrations caused by his slamming fists quickly spread, past his prostrate body and to the rest of the house. They traveled as though they had a purpose; only seconds had passed before they reached the room where the tiny newborn baby slept. They crept across the floor, finally making contact with Toph's body.

The sleeping baby stirred.

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Author's note: Okay, I know it took me a LONG time to update. I have no excuse, really, but the second chapter is here, and I hope you enjoy it. I will try to have the next chapter up in a more reasonable amount of time. :) Useless flames will be laughed at and shown to my friends. Constructive criticism only, please.


	3. Chapter 3

Heart thumping with worry, Lao searched from room to room. "Toph! Where are you?" He combed the whole house at an incredible pace, but there was still no sign of his daughter. "Toph? Toph!" Now extremely concerned, he zipped through the house yet again, this time searching behind doors, in closets, behind furniture, everywhere. Where in the world had she gone?

Just as he was entering a state of panic, Poppy walked in. "Good morning, dear!" she said cheerfully, not noticing Lao's sweaty face and trembling hands. "It's a very warm day today, much warmer than…"

"Have you seen Toph?" her husband interrupted. "I've been searching everywhere, and I haven't found her! What if she's hurt, or trapped, or…" he gulped, "…kidnapped?"

"Oh, calm down," his wife replied with amusement. "I brought her outside with me. She's always cooped up in this house, and I thought the fresh air would be good for her."

"Well, where is she now? She didn't come in with you…"

"I came back in to get a book. Honestly, dear, you should really try reading to her sometime. I know she enjoys it, and it's good for bonding…"

"_What_? You mean, you left her out there _alone_?" Lao's panic was returning as he dashed out the front door. "You should never leave her alone like that! She could trip over something, or fall into the pond…"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, the water only comes up to her knees!" Poppy called, grabbing a book off the shelf and following him. "You needn't treat her as if she were so fragile…"

Though she understood her husband's concern, she couldn't help but laugh at the wild lengths he always went through to make sure his little baby wouldn't get hurt. Why, when Toph was just learning how to crawl, he had bundled her up in thick, protective clothing, including padding and a tiny helmet, in case she bumped into anything. As a result, she was completely protected, but also unable to move. It had taken Poppy weeks to convince him to give up the ridiculous precautions, but not before Toph had spent many days lying on the floor with an adorable pout on her face as she tried to scoot across the room. Poppy smiled at the memory as she tried to catch up with the running Lao. "Honey, slow down! She's perfectly safe!"

"We'll talk once we've found her!" Lao panted, increasing his pace.

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The five-year-old girl calmly sat on the stone bench next to the pond. Her legs were far too short to touch the ground; so instead, she swung them back and forth as she twirled her soft hair around one finger. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, and her white and green headband matched her thin summer kimono. She was very small for her age, and her eyes, though pale, exhibited the brightness that came with innocence. She smiled as she swung her legs, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the songs of the birds in the nearby woods. But she knew it wouldn't last long. _Any minute now_, she thought.

Her father's voice rang out, breaking the peaceful calm. "Toph!"

_There it is_, she sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

"See, dear? I told you she was fine."

Toph sat contently in her mother's lap as Poppy prepared to read to her. Yes, she was fine, but Lao wasn't about to admit it. "Well, still, to leave her alone, so close to the pond…"

The little girl silently wished her father would leave them alone. She had always hated the way he talked about her as if she wasn't there. And she never had any time to herself; as soon as he discovered she was alone somewhere, he would come running. Even now, she was tempted to jump into the shallow pond just to freak him out…

Poppy ignored her husband and began to read the story out loud. It was the legend of the Cave of Two Lovers. It had long been Toph's favorite story, but she did not care for the romantic aspects. She was much more interested in the badgermoles in the story and how they had taught Oma and Shu how to earthbend. "Mama, the badgermoles are blind, too, aren't they?"

Lao shifted uncomfortably, but Poppy only smiled. "Yes, they are, sweetie, but they are said to be very powerful creatures. They were the first earthbenders, you know."

Toph's father scoffed. "Dangerous creatures, that's all they are. They're good for nothing except tunneling underground and trapping travelers in their caves. It's a good thing the wild ones are so rarely seen, or else they would be sure to cause trouble."

Toph didn't want to listen to her father anymore and was glad when a servant came walking out to Lao. "There are visitors at the gate for you, sir. They say you invited them."

"Ah, the Pang family! I will be there right away."

Poppy immediately closed the book and slid out from under Toph. "Toph, would you like to come with us and greet the Pangs?"

Toph shook her head. "No thank you, Mom. I'll just stay out here."

Her mother smiled. "Okay, then, I'll make sure your father doesn't panic."

With that, Toph was finally alone. The truth was, she had never cared much for the Pangs. They were always so awkward around her, as if they didn't know what to say to a blind girl. Even worse, they always tried to help her with the simplest tasks; for instance, they always offered to feed her, and when she refused, they tried to guide her chopsticks over her plate so she could find the food. They were almost worse than her father…her mother usually came to her defense, but Toph endured it silently. She knew they meant well, after all.

Toph stood from the bench and stretched. As her sandaled feet touched the ground, she noticed the vibrations they emitted. She smiled; they became clearer as she concentrated on them. She could sense the vibrations coming in contact with the things around her: the bench, the book sitting on the bench, the edge of the pond a few feet in front of her. The farther they went, the fainter they became; if they traveled much farther than the edge of the pond, she could not feel them at all. She had noticed this talent early in her life, but she knew it was useless to tell her father about it. Nothing would ever convince him that she could take care of herself; if anything, he would just keep a closer watch on her. That was the last thing Toph wanted.

She walked slowly around the pond, finally reaching the stone wall that surrounded the Bei Fong estate. She kept her hand on the wall as she strolled, swerving occasionally to avoid bushes. She thought it was amazing that no one had rushed out to check on her yet. _Mom must be doing a good job_. She smiled as she imagined her father's reaction when he finally looked out toward the pond to see her gone.

She met a corner in the wall and turned with it, still listening for her father's inevitable panic. All she could hear was laughter and talking from the now-distant house. _Good_. The longer they were occupied with their conversations, the longer time Toph would have to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her hand suddenly felt nothing but open air. She paused, confused. _It's impossible for a solid wall to just disappear…right?_ She took a step backwards and reached out with her hand; just as she thought, the wall was still there. She stepped forward again, and her hand felt nothing again. It was almost as if the wall was missing a section of itself. A soft breeze blew in from the mysterious hole; at the same time, Toph heard a gentle creaking sound. Realization finally came: the gate was open. _The servants must not have closed it tightly enough,_ she thought.

A sudden rush of excitement came over Toph. She had never been outside the estate before; her father had always told her that it was too dangerous. Of course, that only made Toph even more curious, but until now, the opportunity had never arisen. But even now, she hesitated. What if her father was right? What if she got lost? What if they didn't find her until it was too late?

The "what ifs" crossed her mind for several minutes. Another soft breeze blew in from the open gate. Toph took a deep breath; it was now or never, she decided. _Who knows when a chance like this will come again?_

She felt her way to the wooden door of the gate, following it out until it ended. There, she stood. _So this is outside. _It didn't feel much different than inside…_So far, so good._ Her confidence renewed, she let go of the door and felt her way back to the stone wall. She didn't want to go too far, of course. _I'll just walk along the outside wall, just like I did inside. One time around, then I'll go back. _Things like this had to be taken in steps, after all.

She felt along the wall until she sensed something else. A tree was growing near the wall…not a short stubby tree like those that decorated the estate's gardens, but a wild tree. Toph left the wall to feel the tree. She was amazed by the thickness of the trunk and the roughness of the bark…no tree in the gardens felt like this. A small branch sprouted out just above Toph's head; another breeze brought the soft leaves closer until they brushed against her face. She smiled. This was fun!

Putting all thoughts of caution aside, she felt her way to another tree nearby. She moved from tree to tree, thinking, _If something happens, I can always find my way back to the wall._ The excitement of finally being outside had triumphed over common sense, but Toph didn't care. She moved from tree to tree, stepping over boulders and feeling the spongy grass under her feet.

She was surprised when her hand suddenly touched solid rock. It was rough, not smooth like the wall, and she could feel dirt on her grimy hands. Curious, she hit it as hard as she could. Wincing from the pain, she kept her hand on the rock as the vibrations traveled, revealing the mouth of a cave. A cave! Her excitement rose again, but caution did also. She felt the same hesitation now as she did when she had first walked out of the gate. She was already farther away from home than she had ever been; did she dare to go even farther?

She heard her father's distant voice, as well as those of her mother, the servants, and the Pangs, calling her name. Her absence had been discovered. It was only a matter of time before they found her and dragged her back inside the walls of the estate, possibly forever. She didn't want to pass this up and spend the rest of her life regretting it. Her boldness renewed, she marched directly into the cave.

She felt along the wall of the cave, the voices growing more and more faint. The path inside the cave was a lot rougher; more than once she nearly tripped over a loose rock or a sudden hole in the path. The light inside the cave grew dimmer until she was plunged into total blackness; of course, Toph didn't know this. She was thoroughly enjoying her adventure, but she knew she couldn't go on forever. Common sense was finally returning; she knew that she'd better get back before her parents were sent into a full-blown panic.

Just as she turned and began to head back out, the whole cave suddenly shifted. Toph was thrown off her feet; she landed hard on the ground and screamed in pain and fear. She tried to crawl out, but she realized that the shift had caused a cave-in; she was trapped inside the cave. Toph felt dizzy and tried to clear her thoughts. What had caused the shift? An earthquake? Something else? Another huge shift rocked the cave, but this time, Toph heard growling. She could sense something in the cave with her, a huge animal of some kind.

For the first time in her life, Toph felt sheer terror. She curled up on the ground, whimpering as the enormous animal advanced upon her.


	5. Chapter 5

Toph tried to drag herself as far away as possible from the strange beast, but her pain was too great. Her left arm hanged uselessly at her side, and sharp pains in her ribs made it hard to breathe. She cried as she felt the animal draw near, and she held up her right hand to fend off the attack.

The badgermole had another bending attack ready when he heard Toph cry out. Surprised by this unexpected sound, he abandoned the attack and listened curiously to the whimpering thing before him. This was not prey, as he had thought. He was only a juvenile, but he had already outgrown most of the animals in the world. His huge paws picked up every vibration from Toph's shaking body. He didn't know what to make of this tiny thing, but whatever it was, it was terrified. He slowly approached Toph and gently put his nose into her outstretched hand.

Toph felt the animal's wet nose on her hand and tried to back away, crying even louder. It was so close she could feel its breath, and she tried not to imagine its open jaws closing down on her. Now too frightened to even make a sound, she curled up tighter on the hard ground and waited.

The badgermole snorted when the tiny thing shrank away from him. Yes, it was clearly terrified. The bewildered animal began making grunting noises in his throat, the way his mother did when he was a newborn. To the badgermole, this grunting was a way of calming the young ones down, and it had always worked with himself and his siblings.

As far as Toph was concerned, he might as well have been roaring. _This is it. I'm going to die. _She didn't want her last thoughts to be those of fear and pain, so she began thinking of other things: her mother reading to her, her peaceful time next to the pond, her father's hilarious antics...anything to clear her mind.

But as minutes passed and nothing happened, Toph's fear began to dissolve. _If it wanted to kill me, it would have done so a long time ago. _She felt the animal approach her again, and she fought the urge to back away. Heart still thumping, she reached up and felt the animal's wet nose again. As she listened to its continuous grunting, she couldn't help but wonder if it was actually trying to comfort her. It came even closer and nuzzled her face. Though the animal's huge size made its nuzzling quite awkward, Toph felt her fear disappear, and wonder replaced it. Her father had always talked about animals and their inability to feel anything but savagery, but as she felt the animal's closeness, she knew it couldn't be true. "What are you?" she asked quietly.

She already knew. Only one animal this large could survive in a cave. Her own mother had credited these creatures as the first earthbenders, and now Toph could hardly believe that she was here, in the presence of the very animal she had admired all her life. "You're blind too, aren't you?"

Neither made a sound for a long time. Toph felt that for the first time in her life, she had found somebody who completely understood her. But she needed to get back, she knew. Her parents were still looking for her, and Toph decided that she'd had enough adventure for one day. Toph held on to the badgermole's head and tried to stand. As if he understood, the badgermole stayed still and waited until Toph got to her feet. The effort brought pain from every injury, and Toph had to lean against the wall to catch her breath.

The badgermole moved away from Toph and earthbended a path through the rubble caused by the cave-in. He nudged Toph in the back, urging her to walk out. She limped slowly along, unaware as the light around her grew brighter. She winced with every step, but she was comforted to know that the gentle creature was with her. She walked until she suddenly felt the warmth of the sun on her face, and she knew that they had reached the outside of the cave.

Here, her friend suddenly turned around and headed back into the cave. Toph understood; wild badgermoles did not belong outside. As she listened to her companion retreat back into the cave, she couldn't help but notice the way it shuffled its paws along the ground, almost as if it were..._feeling for something. _Toph gasped painfully. Of course! Toph could feel vibrations in the ground, so the blind badgermoles must feel them too!

And for the next several days, that was all she could think about. Her father finally scooped her up into his arms and rushed her back to the estate, yelling at the servants to fetch a doctor. Thankfully, in his despair, he didn't bother to ask questions. With her broken arm in a sling and her many cuts bandaged, Toph was confined to bed for the rest of the day and for many days afterward, where she had plenty of time to think. The badgermoles were blind, just as she was. But they were also immensely powerful earthbenders, just as her mother had said; her injuries were full proof of that. And if blind creatures were capable of that kind of power...

She sat up in bed and spoke aloud to the darkness. "I don't care what anybody says. I can do it too."


	6. Chapter 6

Toph's injuries healed slowly. Her entire body was extremely stiff, and she could not walk far without stopping and gasping from the pain. However, she had no regrets. Every moment of pain just reminded her of the sheer power of the badgermole, and any thought of them made her smile.

Even so, she could not imagine how to ask her parents about earthbending lessons. Toph's brief disappearance had given Poppy quite a fright, but she had recovered much better than Lao. Her father fired the servants responsible for leaving the gate so poorly latched (because it was always the servants' fault, not his little girl's fault), and hired guards whose purpose was to supervise Toph on the grounds. If she wanted to go somewhere, she would have to ask the guards. And there were always guards near the gate, so any hopes that Toph had of escaping and visiting the cave again were quickly dashed.

Still, Toph did her own experimenting. Getting everyone to leave her alone was easy enough; all she had to do was moan and complain about her stiffness, and her father would rush her off to her room and bar anybody from interrupting his little angel. It was during these times alone that Toph realized that her sandals kept vibrations from reaching her feet and that she could feel them much better when she was barefoot. She was so angry with herself for not realizing it before, because the concept was so simple; but once she discovered it, she decided to develop it. Night after night she stood in the middle of her room, ignoring her sore muscles, and stomped the ground, feeling the vibrations travel. She couldn't get enough of them; she was noticing things about her house that she had never noticed before, and the more she practiced, the less concentration it took for her to feel the vibrations.

One by one, the bandages came off. Her tenderness wore off, and finally, even her arm sling was thrown away. Toph was feeling much better, and her nightly "sight" practices were still going strong. The now six-year-old girl decided that now was as good a time as ever to talk to her father about finding her an earthbending teacher, but she was worried that it would not be received well.

Sure enough, she was right. "Absolutely not, Toph. Earthbending is far too dangerous for you. I'm not paying for a teacher just so you can end up hurt again." Lao sipped his tea as if to signify that it was the end of the discussion.

Toph sighed inwardly; she had expected this. Her heart thumped nervously as she fought to keep her voice even. She decided to try a different approach. "But Dad, don't you think I should learn how to protect myself?"

"You already have several people protecting you. You have the guards, the servants, your mother, and myself. Trust me, you are completely safe inside the estate."

"But I can't stay inside forever, Dad. How long are you going to try to keep me from the rest of the world?"

Lao's voice was growing impatient. "As long as I can. You are still a little girl, Toph. Look what happened your first time outside! You got lost, you came back injured…your bandages just came off! And suddenly you want to earthbend, too? No, Toph. You cannot do it."

"But Dad…"

"That's final!"

Toph fought back the tears. _You cannot do it_…In spite of her recent epiphany, her father's words stung. But she refused to cry in front of him. She knew better than to behave disrespectfully, so she simply bowed. "As you wish, Father." Then she turned and walked swiftly from the room.

"Be careful, you could run into something!" Lao called after her. He shook his head. The child was far too ambitious. First she wanders out of the gate, then gets lost and hurt…and now she suddenly wants to learn a dangerous art! Nothing good would ever come of it.

He looked up to see Poppy standing in the doorway. "What happened? Toph just walked straight to her room without saying a word to me."

Her husband scoffed. "She's just pouting because I forbid her from earthbending."

Poppy gasped. "Earthbending? You mean, she can actually do that?"

Lao shook his head. "No. But she wants to learn how."

"Oh, isn't that wonderful?" Poppy smiled. "Imagine, our little girl, the earthbender…"

"Did you not hear me? I forbid her from doing it."

"What? Why?"

Lao raised an eyebrow. "You're serious? Have you forgotten that our little girl was nearly killed recently?"

"Oh, please, dear. She is perfectly fine."

"She is _now_. But what if she had been killed in that cave? I can't bear to think of what would have happened if nobody found her…"

"But you did find her, and she recovered quite well," Poppy insisted. "And she told you that she wants to earthbend…doesn't that say something about her character? She is not one to give up. She is very strong-willed."

"That strong will can get her killed someday…" Lao growled.

"But don't you think we should give her a chance? We can't protect her forever, you know. Like it or not, she will grow up someday, and if you ask me, I think she would be much happier if she can take care of herself, instead of being flanked by helpers all day long. And besides, this is what Toph really wants, and you were never one to deprive her of something she wanted."

Lao was silent. She was right, of course, much as he hated to admit it. "You think about it," Poppy added as she left the room. "This could be the best thing we've ever done for her."

She left him to collect his thoughts and walked down the hallway. Had she looked behind a large decorative vase, she would have seen Toph hiding behind it; she had listened anxiously to the debate between her parents. After her mother passed by, she crawled away from the vase and walked briskly to her room, a glimmer of hope in her heart.


	7. Chapter 7

"Toph, hold still!" Poppy muttered as she fixed Toph's hair. Toph complied, but it was not easy. She could barely contain her excitement; today, she would have her first earthbending lesson. Lao had finally given in and found a master for her, and today he would be coming to the estate to give her private lessons.

Naturally, her father still had his worries, and insisted that Toph be given a different outfit than the ones traditionally used by the earthbending academy. For once, Toph was glad for her father's request; the school uniforms were stiff to the touch, and the earthbending helmets quickly gave her headaches. Instead, her father found her a simple brown outfit with a belt, and while he complained that the clothes were more suited for a boy, he admitted that they were far better suited for earthbending than Toph's dresses and robes. Toph agreed; they were very comfortable, and she could get them as dirty as she liked. If she had a choice, she would wear them every day…

Her hair finally fixed in a bun, Toph walked with her mother out into the yard. Lao met them outside, and standing next to him was a man in long robes. His black hair fell to his shoulders, and upon seeing him, Poppy noticed a certain twinkle in his eyes. This was Master Yu, Toph's new teacher. Toph and Poppy bowed respectfully. "Master Yu, it is an honor to have you here to teach our daughter," Poppy said.

Master Yu laughed. "It is an honor to be here at the Bei Fong estate. I never imagined that I would so much as set foot in here, much less teach a member of the Bei Fong family."

He sounded pleasant enough, but there was something about him that Toph didn't like. "And this must be little Toph!" Toph bit her lip at the word "little." "It is a true delight to finally meet you. Your father told me much about you."

_That can't be good_, Toph thought. She liked her new master less and less with each passing minute. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was just something about him that didn't seem sincere. Furthermore, her father was a little too calm about this whole thing…Toph had expected him to try to talk her out of it, or asking her master various questions about how dangerous her training would be. Instead, he just stood silently, arms crossed. Was he hiding something?

Toph kept her suspicions to herself as she and Master Yu began the lesson. Her parents watched from the sidewalk. "Alright, Toph, let us begin. The first thing you need to know about earthbending is this: the key is your stance." Toph could feel him widening his legs as a demonstration. "You have to be steady and strong. Rock is a stubborn element; if you wish to move it, then you must be like a rock yourself. So you must stand like this."

Toph could feel the way he was standing, but naturally, her father interfered. "How can she tell how you are standing? She cannot see you!"

She almost smiled when her master stood up quickly. "My apologies to you, Ms. Bei Fong," he said anxiously. "I will try my hardest in the future not to forget about your…" He paused, wondering which word to use. Handicap? Disability? He weighed the two options, trying to figure out which one was the least offensive.

Though she was tempted to allow him to flounder about, Toph decided to help him. "…blindness?"

Master Yu sounded relieved that she had finished the sentence for him. "Yes, yes, of course," he stammered. "I offer you my sincere apologies if I offended you in any way…"

Toph wished that he would just shut up and teach. _This is going to be a long day…_

By the end of the lesson, Toph had already mastered the stance. She bowed to him as he stuttered his way through his goodbyes and his promises to return the following week. _Week?!_ With even more lessons on forms, and only one lesson a week, it would probably be ages before she even moved a rock, much less mastered earthbending. _Maybe that's the way Dad planned it…either to get me bored enough to quit, or to keep me from anything too dangerous for a long time._

Toph sighed. _Or maybe I'm just overthinking this whole thing. I'll give Master Yu a chance…for a while._ If her suspicions proved correct, then she was determined to pull some strings of her own.


	8. Chapter 8

The weeks wore on and there was still no progress in Toph's training. She practiced - and mastered – the stance numerous times before Master Yu taught her some breathing exercises. After that, they moved on to basic forms…and there were plenty of them. Nearly four months after Toph's first lesson, she was convinced more than ever that she would never master earthbending as long as her father supervised her training.

She decided that now was the time to take matters into her own hands. One night, she crept out of bed and tapped the floor. Good; she felt no movement from her parents' room, and there were no servants nearby. Quietly she crawled out of her window and made her way to the pond. Every few seconds she paused and felt for the guards, but none patrolled the grounds at this time of night. Still, she could hear the guards talking at the gate, and an occasional laugh would reach her ears and make her stiffen. She could not afford to be caught, and every sound she heard made her even more anxious. Reaching the pond, she bent down and picked up a small stone from the water's edge and walked back to her room, not daring to stop until she was back inside.

Once inside, she placed the stone in the center of the room and stood back. In the entire house, she was the only person that stirred. _This is it_, she thought as she assumed her stance. She breathed deeply, remembering the technique that her master had taught her. _I wonder if any of my teaching so far has been genuine_. Tapping her foot, she concentrated on the rock as the vibrations found it. She took one final deep breath and stomped her foot, raising her hands as she did so.

She was surprised when the rock suddenly disappeared from her "sight"; she now felt nothing except the bare floor. Puzzled, she dropped her hands. Toph was startled again when the rock suddenly came back into view, clattering on the floor in the same spot where it had been seconds earlier. Toph flinched at the noise, but her parents slept on.

When minutes passed and the house remained quiet, Toph felt brave enough to try it again. Though still mystified by the way the rock simply disappeared, this time she held her stance. Once again, she felt bare floor; the rock was nowhere in her sight. Slowly she lowered her hands, and the rock came back into view. Suddenly, she understood; as long as her hands were in the air, the rock was too. This was earthbending! Real earthbending!

_Well what do you know, Master Yu did teach me something useful_, she thought as she took her stance again. This time, she simply pointed her hands at the rock. She could feel it vibrating, and she drew her arms closer to herself. The rock slid across the floor toward her. Toph flicked her wrists and smiled with the rock bounced. She was making more progress by herself than her teacher had made in three months.

After hours of playing with the rock, she had to force herself to go to bed. She could hardly wait to do more experimenting the next night. _Let Master Yu keep me on basic forms_, she thought. _I can teach myself the real stuff_.

The next morning, she deeply regretted staying up so late. The groggy girl hardly noticed when the servants dressed her and guided her to the breakfast table. She picked at her breakfast pastries and ignored her father's useless chatter. She perked up, however, when her mom directed a comment at her. "Toph, I have wonderful news for you."

"What is it, Mom?" _A different earthbending teacher?_ she thought with amusement.

Her mother's real answer surprised her. "We're going to Ba Sing Se!"


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: I decided not to write Joo Dee into this chapter; I decided that this is probably a couple years before the Joo Dee system was put into place. I have my own reasons for that. 

Anyway, enjoy.

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"Ba Sing Se is famous for its walls, which help to maintain order within the city," the guide rattled. "Inside, there are three rings: the lower ring, the middle ring, and the upper ring. Your house will be in the upper ring, which is reserved for our most important visitors."

Toph was bored. What did she care about the magnificence of the city if she couldn't even see it? As their carriage bounced along through the lower ring, she could hear the bustle of shoppers. She wished to join them, if only to get out of the carriage. Their guide was a young man who apparently enjoyed his job too much; he talked about the layout of the city with an enthusiasm that made Toph sick to her stomach.

At least her parents left her alone; they were too mesmerized by the city's sights to pay any attention to her. It was their first time ever in the legendary city. Toph knew a little bit about it; her tutors had educated her about the famous six-hundred-day siege by the Dragon of the West, and how he successfully broke through the walls, but gave up soon afterwards. _They act like their city is so great for defeating the Dragon of the West_, she thought. _He gave up on his own accord, not because Ba Sing Se did anything about it._ She couldn't help but wonder what made him give up after his success. _He could have burned this place to the ground if he had chosen to._

She almost wished he had. Toph could already tell that she wouldn't like this city, and her predictions were usually correct. When the long tour came to a close, the carriage finally stopped in front of a large house. "Here we are!" the guide announced. "This will be your home while you are here."

The house was large and cozy, but still much smaller than the one at the Bei Fong estate, a fact that Lao was quick to complain about. Toph agreed, but for a different reason; a large house made it easier for her to sneak around. When she explored the bedrooms, she discovered that there were no windows. Furthermore, they were sharing this house with another family, meaning that Toph would be sleeping in the same room with her parents. In other words, any hopes that she had of somehow practicing her earthbending in secret were quickly dashed.

The other family, the Yum Soon Hans, had not arrived yet, but Toph had already heard much about them. They were old friends of the Bei Fongs, though Toph had never met them, and the two families would be attending some high society parties during their visit. Toph cringed at the thought. High society parties meant high society manners, and she had no doubt that her parents would be drilling her on that. She hadn't been in the city for a full day, and she was already dreading the rest of the week.

The following night was their first party. It was held on a ferry boat in the middle of a moonlit lake, Lake Laogai, a large lake in Ba Sing Se's countryside. There, a small band played some quiet music while servers offered trays of food to the guests. Different kinds of teas and wines were also offered, and many of the guests either danced or stood around talking about the magnificent city and its history. For the average guest, the night was truly a wonderful night.

Toph, on the other hand, was ill. She had never been on a boat before, and the gentle rocking of the boat made her seasick. She gagged miserably when food was offered to her and could not even bring herself to try some of the tea. Knowing that her parents were enjoying themselves too much to watch over her, she felt her way through the crowd and finally came to the boat's railing. The open air was comforting, and she breathed deeply, trying to think of something other than her upset stomach.

That night, standing next to the railing, Toph had never felt lonelier in her life. Normally, she didn't mind when she had time alone, but then again, she was never ignored like she was now. Her father never really cared about her feelings; he was just overprotective. The Yum Soon Hans had no children of Toph's age, so they had no reason to acknowledge her. Her mother usually was the most considerate of Toph's feelings, but here, even she ignored her. As Toph stood there, in her uncomfortable dress and her sticky makeup, she remembered the badgermole that she had met about a year ago. _I wish I had someone like him_, she thought. _A real friend who's always there for me, even though I'm different from everybody else._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of dancing feet. The band had begun a fast song, and the dancers merrily twirled with the beat. They were so caught up in their dancing that they didn't notice how close they were to the railing. They didn't see Toph standing there, and they didn't even notice when they bumped into her, sending her over the railing and into the lake below.

Toph was too surprised to feel frightened. She had never fallen from such a height before, and her first sensation was that she was simply floating. She was shocked when she suddenly hit the water; her breath was knocked out of her, and she was enveloped in cold and darkness.

Darkness…a new sensation. Toph found herself suddenly devoid of vibrations, which rendered her completely blind. Gripped with fear, she panicked, trying to claw her way to the surface. Water gushed into her mouth as she tried to cry out, and she coughed and choked as the water began to enter her lungs.

Her head and hands suddenly shot out of the water, and she managed to get a gulp of air before going under again. Nobody had realized that she was in the water; the band played on and the party continued. She had to make herself known, somehow. Holding her breath and trying to control her movements, she fought to keep her mind. _Calm down, don't panic…_

"HELP!" she shouted the next time she came up. It was all she had time to say as she went back under. By this time, the boat was a little ways ahead; each time she came up, it was farther away. However, this time, she was heard. Some of the guests shouted and pointed at the young girl floundering in the water, and Lao and Poppy pushed past the others toward the railing. Crying out in distress, her parents tried to communicate to the captain that their daughter had fallen overboard.

Toph's movements were slowing; the effort of trying to keep above the water was draining her energy. She knew the guests had seen her by now, and she wondered what was taking so long. The next time she broke the surface, however, she heard something that made her furious. The guests were arguing over who would jump in after her; they were more concerned with the condition of their clothing than saving her! _The idiots!_ she thought angrily. _Don't they care if I drown?_

A loud splash announced that the argument was over. Someone grabbed Toph around the waist and jerked her above the water. Toph clung to him gratefully, crying and coughing as he began swimming with her back to the boat. "Easy there, it's over now," he said soothingly. Toph recognized his voice as the voice of the captain. He had abandoned his own boat just to save her, and she could tell that he was just as angry at the guests as she was. "Arguing like that while a child is drowning…" he fumed. "Honestly…"

Someone tossed a rope down to him, and they were both hauled back on board. The exhausted girl was scooped up into her mother's arms as Poppy wept over her. "It's all my fault, it's all my fault…" she sobbed. "I should have been watching you…"

The captain refused a blanket and returned to the bridge. "Folks," he announced coldly, "I'm afraid that under the circumstances, the party must be cut short. I am returning this boat to shore."

There were neither groans of disappointment nor sighs of relief. All attention was on the exhausted blind girl, shivering and crying over her narrow escape from death. She never got the chance to thank the kind-hearted captain, and she never even found out his name.

The next day, Lao and Poppy packed up their things to leave. "I am sorry that we cannot stay any longer," Lao explained to the Yum Soon Hans, "but after my daughter's experience last night, I think it would be best if we return home and let her rest for a while."

Toph could tell that the Yum Soon Hans were insulted at their departure, and she could almost feel their animosity towards her. "Very well," they said, bitterly. "We wish you a safe trip back." Turning to Toph, they bowed to her. "Miss Toph, we hope that you will join us again in the future."

Toph bowed back. "I would like that very much."

_You'll never take me alive_, she thought.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: This takes place two years after the last chapter; Toph is now eight years old. In the next chapter, she'll be ten.

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The Pai Sho pieces in Toph's hands had been carved by the most skilled artisans in the town of Gaoling. They were not made of wood or clay, as was common for the ancient game. No, these pieces had been specifically carved for the Bei Fong family. Each individual marble piece was like a work of art…the carving of a beetle was set into one, while another bore the image of a wheel. Each white piece had its own unique design: a leaf, a badgermole, a lotus flower...and all were beautifully fashioned to perfection. Why, the Earth King himself would probably be envious of the set.

Not that Toph cared about any of this. They were made of earth, and that was all she needed.

Standing in the middle of her room, she unceremoniously flung the pieces in different directions before taking her stance. Tapping her foot lightly, she sought each individual piece. Breathing deeply, she stretched out her hands and flicked her wrists.

Together, the pieces quivered and stood on their thin edges. Toph brought her hands closer to herself, and the round pieces began rolling toward her. She shifted her stance before they reached her, and began moving her hands in circles. Her targets obeyed immediately and began rolling together in a large circle, with Toph at the center.

The girl smiled. Two years of practicing her earthbending in secret had served her well; the stone pieces followed every motion of her hands. A flick of the wrist, and they skipped lightly across the floor. An upward motion, and they rolled up the walls, dancing on the ceiling in different patterns as Toph saw fit. Once she allowed them to fall back toward the floor, but would stop them with a swift flick just before they hit the floor. Toph laughed about the control she had over them; not a single one made contact with the floor.

Her lessons with Master Yu hadn't changed at all. He and Lao had given up the charades a long time ago; it was painfully clear to everybody that Yu's purpose was to keep Toph well out of harm's way. Toph was sometimes tempted to suddenly reveal her earthbending skills during one of his "lessons". But in the end, she always decided against it. This was her secret, and she was determined to keep it; her father would stop it in an instant if he ever found out.

Ever since the disastrous trip to Ba Sing Se, Lao had kept an even closer watch on his daughter. She was never to roam the grounds without supervision, and he was extra careful to keep her away from the pond. Toph thought this was very silly; true, she had developed a fear of deep water, but the water in the pond was very shallow, and on hot summer days, Toph sometimes longed to dip her feet into the cool water.

Poppy still blamed herself for Toph's near-drowning in Lake Laogai, and she kept a slightly closer watch on Toph than she had before. Still, however, she still kept Toph's feelings in mind and left her alone if she wished, but she had been extremely protective of Toph after the trip. Poppy finally relaxed after a few weeks, but Toph feared that another disaster would cause a complete breakdown.

The pieces were rolling in every direction now; she sent them weaving between each other, dancing in circles, back up the walls again…everywhere they went, the vibrations painted pictures in Toph's mind. She laughed aloud at the patterns and wondered if they would be just as lovely if she could actually see them. Practice time was also her playtime; the pictures she drew would bring hours of enjoyment for the girl.

Footsteps in the hallway…someone was coming! Toph quickly brought the pieces together in a neat pile in front of her, then sat down and began stacking them. Her door slid open, and Poppy peeked in. "Toph? What are you doing in here?"

"Just playing, Mama…" Toph replied, innocently toppling the tower she had built. "Just playing with these pieces…"

Poppy shook her head and smiled. "Well, be careful with those, okay? They are very valuable." She began to slide the door closed. "I never knew that Pai Sho pieces could be so much fun…"

As soon as her footsteps faded down the hallway, Toph leapt to her feet, assuming her stance once again.

Toph grinned as the pieces began rolling. _Lady, you have no idea…_

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Author's note again: I was thinking about what Toph would do for fun, and this is what I came up with. The idea is that she obviously can't see what's on paper, so she uses her earthbending to "draw" on the walls and ceilings. And it works for her, since she sees with vibrations. I liked the idea so much I almost made it into a oneshot. :)


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note: Two years after the last chapter; Toph is now ten years old.

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Silence reigned in the Bei Fong estate. The moon was the only witness to the small figure as she strode across the grounds. The dozing guards took no notice of her, and her parents and servants remained fast asleep in their beds. Toph no longer worried about being caught; she had perfected the art of sneaking around. Not to mention the fact that her parents were very deep sleepers…they probably wouldn't wake up even if a tornado ripped through their town.

When Toph reached the wall, she stomped her foot, grinning as the wall opened like a door before her. She walked through it and closed it behind her, pausing to make sure nobody had heard. As she expected, the whole estate remained still and silent.

With that, Toph walked quickly around the wall of the estate, finally reaching the road that led into town. After four years, her earthbending had greatly improved, but she could no longer practice in her room. Occasionally she still played with the Pai Sho tiles, but the things she wanted to try now required a lot more room and a lot more secrecy…something that the estate did not offer.

So, in the past year, Toph had begun sneaking out of the estate at night and searching for a good spot to practice. After a few weeks (and more exploration than she had ever done in her life), she had discovered the perfect spot, and it lay just beyond the town. The town of Gaoling was always bustling with activity, no matter what time of night. The main road was alive with shopkeepers and customers, but Toph preferred to take the side streets, which were practically empty. A young blind girl traveling alone would likely attract a lot of attention, and though the townspeople did not know that the Bei Fongs had a daughter, she did not want to take any chances.

Reaching the edge of the town, Toph veered off the side roads and headed into the woods. She finally reached a large clearing, surrounded and hidden by trees and located next to a tall rocky cliff. To a casual explorer, this area had nothing to offer…there was no grass, just rock and dirt. Definitely not an attractive place.

This was Toph's terrain. However, much as she wanted to, she did not start practicing yet. Instead, her attention was drawn to the mouth of a cave in the side of the cliff. It was not the same cave that she had wandered into five years ago, but it was one of the many exits from the same tunnel system. Toph stood in front of the cave, arms crossed. She waited patiently, feeling something moving through the tunnels toward her.

She smiled when the badgermole finally emerged from the mouth of the cave. "There you are, Yama," Toph said, approaching the huge animal. They had both grown so much since they had first met five years ago. Yama rumbled softly as Toph hugged him. "You're late tonight. You're usually here before me," she said as she stroked his nose.

Toph could never explain how she knew that Yama was the same badgermole from five years before…or if he even recognized her from back then. All she knew was that the gentleness she remembered was still there, and he came every night to her earthbending practices. She would bend, he would watch…with his feet, of course.

Toph ripped a chunk of rock out of the ground and sent it flying toward a small dead tree. The rock clipped the side of the tree before crashing to the ground nearby. Yama grunted.

"I agree," said Toph. "My aim was a little off that time." Taking her stance again and concentrating harder, she sent two more rocks at the tree. This time, both rocks hit, and the tree splintered and snapped. Yama grunted again.

"Yes, that was much better," Toph answered. She didn't know whether or not he could really understand her, but she didn't care. It comforted her to know that he was nearby. When she was finished working on her aim, she experimented with different techniques. She leaned against the cliff's wall and allowed her hand to sink into it, and then pulled it out again, covered with a rock glove. She did the same with her feet, and before long, she had a pair of rock shoes. Toph laughed, and stomped her feet, crushing the shoes into sand. All the while, Yama rumbled with approval, and Toph beamed proudly. There was nobody in the world she would rather have with her.

She hugged Yama again when she had finished practicing. "I'll be back again tomorrow night. You'd better be here on time, or I'm starting without you," she said, smiling. Her friend snorted and lumbered back into the cave. Toph waved goodbye and headed back into town, a huge smile on her face. Her secret practices were definitely her favorite part of the day, and she always left in high spirits. She was learning more with each passing day, she was having fun...and best of all, her best friend was with her every night. As Toph walked down the side streets of Gaoling, all she could think of was coming back tomorrow night and doing it all over again.

She didn't notice the two men following her.


	12. Chapter 12

The two thugs knew that the small, black-haired girl did not belong in this part of town. They could tell that she came from an upper-class family; everything from her posture to her clothing gave her status away. They didn't know where she came from, nor did they care…all they knew was that her parents would likely pay a lot of money to get her back.

Toph was in such high spirits from her night of practice that she didn't notice the danger at first. However, the more she walked, the more she realized that something wasn't right. Her huge smile disappeared when she noticed two sets of feet following her. Had she been found out? Had her father sent them? _No_, she thought. If Lao had sent them, surely they would have called her by name. Her heart began to pound in fear as she picked up speed.

Her followers had anticipated this. Without warning, they dashed toward her, quickly overtaking her. They grabbed her arms and pinned her against the side of a building. Toph was too afraid to scream, too afraid to think…

One of her attackers brushed her hair aside to get a good look at her face. _Ah, you're a pretty one_, he thought, and grinned when she recoiled from his touch. _Feisty, too. We'll have plenty of fun before we're done with you..._

The other noticed Toph's pale eyes. They were wide open in fear, and yet they were unfocused, staring above their heads instead of making eye contact. He knew exactly what that meant. "A blind girl, huh?" he chuckled. A young blind girl, and a rich one, at that. She would definitely be worth more than their past victims.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice shaking.

"If you're a good girl, we'll be your friends," one of them growled. "We're going to take you on a little trip."

Realizing what their intentions were, she tried to pull away. "Please, no…" Toph sputtered, "…just let me go, please…"

"I said, you're coming with us!" His huge hand gripped her arm even tighter, and she winced in pain. The other reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. _A knife! _"Don't try anything, missy; you could get hurt. Just be a good little girl and come with us."

He grabbed her by the shirt and tried to pull her along. With that, Toph's fear suddenly turned to rage. _I will not be taken by these two losers! _Hardly knowing what she was doing, she wrenched away from them and took her stance. "I SAID NO!!!" she screamed, and her hands shot forward.

Her attack surprised her just as much as it did her would-be kidnappers. A wave of earth buckled underneath them, throwing them against a nearby wall. The wave followed, effectively burying them. Toph's heart pounded as she listened to their muffled groans. It had happened so fast! The knife, which only seconds before had terrified her so, now lay harmlessly where its owner had dropped it. Its owner, meanwhile, was feebly trying to dig his way out, moaning in pain and frustration. Time seemed frozen; Toph could only stand in awe at her own power.

Toph snapped out of her trance when she heard another voice. "Hey! What's going on over there?" The commotion had not been missed by the guards. They ran in her direction, weapons at the ready. Toph did not wait for them; she ran as fast as she could, bending herself into a hole in the ground as soon as she was out of their sight and closing up the hole behind her.

It was quite a sight that greeted the guards when they reached the scene. One of the thugs had managed to clear away the earth around his head. The guards recognized him immediately as Teki, a wanted criminal and notorious kidnapper in the Earth Kingdom. His companion, Shimo, was also a wanted criminal, and the guards knew that a large reward was in store for whoever had helped capture them. However, their intended victim was long gone. All they ever found of her was a set of small footprints, which led away from the scene of the crime, and then simply disappeared. It was as if she had vanished without a trace.

Toph tunneled silently towards home. She could only hope that the two villains wouldn't say anything about her; news like that would certainly travel back to the Bei Fong estate, and her secret would be discovered. But the more she thought about it, her worry dissolved into wonder. She had just single-handedly defeated two men, who were much stronger than she was and could have killed her if they wanted to! Her earthbending had come farther than she had realized; Toph had always known that earthbending was a powerful weapon, but she had never expected to use it as such. And certainly not now, at only ten years old.

Toph crawled through her bedroom window and crawled into bed, heart still thumping. Up till now, she had just used it as a toy; it was her little secret, her fun pastime. But now, she realized, she was ready to do so much more. _I can fight_, she thought. _I am tough enough to fight, and strong enough to win._

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Author's note: Sorry about the long wait; college life is insane. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I promise I'll have the next one up this weekend.


	13. Chapter 13

Xin Fu was bored. He watched silently as the upper-level earthbending students filed past him. He was annoyed by their constant efforts to impress him, from the way they inflated their chests to the way they tried to stand taller. _No good_, he thought. The crowds at the Earth Rumble Six would never cheer for these puny wimps.

The tournament scout turned to Master Yu. "Thank you, sir," he said with mock respect, "I will consider all of these candidates." _Teenaged boys..._he thought in disgust. _We need real fighters, not wannabes!_

He left the earthbending academy, rolling his eyes as the students bowed and waved. _Why did I come here in the first place?_ he wondered. _Oh, that's right…Master Yu paid me to come see his students. He must be anxious to get rid of them; I certainly would be._ He had agreed, if only because Earth Rumble Six was in desperate need of a new face. The crowds had been thinning recently; perhaps the introduction of a new challenger would spark their attention and bring the audiences back. But the teenagers at the academy were simply immature little show-offs; Xin Fu himself had once been a competitor in earthbending tournaments, and he knew that they would never last long in a real competition.

The sun had long set when he returned to his post on Gaoling's main street. He casually sat, watching for potential competitors. But alas, the results were the same as they were every night…nobody took notice of the scout. _Why did I have to build Earth Rumble Six here? _he wondered. _There's nothing but small towns in this area. Maybe I'll move to Ba Sing Se…or Omashu…_

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he took no notice of the cloaked figure passing by in front of him. Such a sight was not uncommon in the alleys of Gaoling; most of the citizens avoided them, fearing that they were muggers. However, Xin Fu was surprised when the figure stopped and turned toward him. It was a curious sight; the person was of incredibly small stature, and the hood obscured most of the face.

The figure leaned toward him. "I hear you're looking for strong earthbenders. I'd like to talk to you in private."

That voice…that was a child under there! Not even a teenager, but a blasted _child_! It even sounded like a girl! Xin Fu did not bother hiding his frustration and embarrassment. The last thing he needed was for more brats to try impressing him. "No," he finally said, "you would not last a second in Earth Rumble Six. Now go away and stop wasting my time!"

A small hand protruded from the cloak, presenting a green Earth Kingdom passport with a golden seal on it. The image of a flying boar was clearly visible on the seal, and Xin Fu balked at the sight of it. "You would refuse audience to a Bei Fong?" the figure asked, calmly. Xin Fu stared at the flying boar. It was legitimate; there was no mistaking it. But still…

"M…my apologies, Miss Bei Fong," he sputtered, "but even so, I am not looking for little girls. I am interested in real fighters."

"I thought you might say that," the girl said. He noticed her other hand moving underneath her cloak. She continued, "You're a business man, aren't you? Then I'm sure I can guess what else you're interested in…" Her other hand emerged from the cloak, offering him a cloth sack. It was full of gold coins.

Sure enough, it hit the spot. Too shocked to speak, Xin Fu followed her into a nearby abandoned building. It was unnecessary, really; nobody had been paying attention to them as it was. However, she seemed anxious, as if she feared being discovered. She clearly felt much more comfortable once they were away from the noisy streets. Once inside, she removed her hood, and Xin Fu got a good look at her face. "Wait a minute," he said, noticing her eyes. "Are you…"

"…blind? Yes," she answered. "But that's not important, as long as I'm a good earthbender, is it?"

"Where did you get that gold?"

She smiled mischievously. "I'm the blind only child of the Bei Fong family, so I can get anything I ask for. All I have to do is ask for some shopping money, buy something cheap, pocket the change…it really builds up after a while. "

_The girl has spunk, that's for sure_, he thought. He still had his doubts, but he was increasingly intrigued by this mysterious girl. "I didn't know the Bei Fongs had a daughter. I heard that they had a son who was off fighting the war."

The girl seemed shocked, even hurt, by the statement. Xin Fu got the feeling that she had never heard this before. A long uncomfortable silence passed as she pondered it. "So, that's the alternative reality my parents have built…" she finally said, barely audible. She cleared her throat and raised her head, confidence restored. "Well, it doesn't matter what…misinformation…has been spread about the Bei Fongs' only child. Clearly, they would much rather have a war hero than a blind girl in the family, so there's no need to tell anyone of my origins, correct?"

"Okay, then," Xin Fu said. _She speaks as though she's conducted business deals before_, he thought, studying her. She was so small, but he noticed that her arms were well-toned…the arms of an earthbender. _So, she really is an earthbender…but how good is she?_ "What is your skill level, and who is your teacher?"

"Well," she answered, "I don't exactly know what the formal rules are for the mastery of an element, but I'd say that I've pretty much mastered it. As for the teacher, you are looking at her."

"Self-taught?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I know what you're thinking. You think I can't do anything, because I am blind. Well, I'm sure that your audiences will think the same thing. But what will happen if I win the tournaments? People will be coming in droves to see them. I hear your crowds have been pretty thin recently…what better way to attract them than a new champion?"

"And if you lose?"

"I don't think you need to worry about that, but even if I do," she pointed at the sack of gold, "you still get my money. And that's only half of it; I'll bring you the other half…if you let me fight. So what will it be?"

_Definitely a spunky girl_, he thought. It would certainly be interesting to see her fight; he could advertise it as a big mystery, and then…_but what if she loses?_ He would lose his crowds, his respect…_but what if she wins? _

"Come on, what do you have to lose? I know what that gold is worth; it's more than enough for you to start a new life somewhere else, should I embarrass you too badly. But if I win, the gold will keep coming in…from your audiences, of course."

Being bribed by a child…what had he been reduced to? What made it worse was the fact that she was absolutely right. Finally overcome by his greed, he bowed to her. "You will fight for me, Miss Bei Fong."

"You won't regret it, I promise," she assured him. "I'll give all of you a show you'll never forget."

She replaced her hood and began walking back toward the door. "Wait!" Xin Fu called. "What is your character name? All competitors must have an alias."

She paused and turned back toward him, her blind eyes shining.

"Just call me the Blind Bandit."

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Author's note: Well, she had to get into the earthbending tournaments somehow. :) And yes, her parents are lying and saying that they have a son fighting in the war. It's not canon, but it just sounds like something her parents (particularly Lao) would do. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the next one will come soon.


	14. Chapter 14

"Are you okay, Toph?" Poppy asked, helping Toph get out of her dress and into her pajamas.

"Why yes, Mom. Why do you ask?"

"You've seemed a little down these past few days. Do you want to talk about something?"

_Crud, she's noticed. _"No, Mom, there's nothing. I just haven't been feeling very well, that's all." _It's not a lie_, she thought. She really hadn't, after she found out her parents' little secret. _Then again, why should I feel guilty about being dishonest? Both of us have something to hide._ She was still in shock that her parents had been lying about their only child's identity. A son in the military…it certainly sounded better than the truth. _Is that what they think of me? Am I just their crippled little embarrassment? _Toph didn't know what to think, but she knew that the rift between herself and her parents was growing irreparably wide.

"Hmm, you look fine," Poppy said, feeling Toph's forehead. "Would you like some water or something?"

"Oh, no thanks, Mom. I'm sure that I just need some rest." Toph got underneath the covers while Poppy kissed her forehead.

"Okay, then. I'll make sure that nobody bothers you for the rest of the night." She left, sliding the door shut. Toph sat up, scoffing at the closed door. _Well, that's a big surprise. You leave me alone every night. _But, on the other hand, she was grateful. If it wasn't for their neglect, she would have no time to practice. And tonight, she would be taking her practice to a whole new level.

Toph got up and went to her closet. Her earthbending gi was hanging separately from her dresses and robes. She had long ago outgrown her first one; her mother had bought her a green and yellow one, with a matching headband. Color was a concept that Toph didn't quite understand, despite her mother's countless efforts to explain it, but green and yellow were the Earth Kingdom's national colors, so that was good enough for her.

She changed out of her pajamas and into her gi. Grabbing a sack of gold from its hiding place, she hid it among her clothes and earthbended herself underground. Her encounter with Teki and Shimo had made her much more cautious. She wasn't at all worried about defending herself; she was much more worried that another encounter would lead to the discovery of her secret. Teki and Shimo, fortunately, were too proud to admit that they had been defeated by a young blind girl, so they just faced justice silently. Nobody suspected anything from Toph, but nevertheless, she preferred tunneling to her destinations instead of walking. _Just like a badgermole_, she thought, grinning.

When she reached her special spot next to the cliff, Yama was already there, waiting for her. She walked up, petting his forehead. "I'm sorry, Yama. I can't stay tonight. I have to be somewhere else."

Yama grunted, nuzzling her. Toph smiled. "Now, don't try that again. I know it's worked before, but it won't tonight. I'm having my first real fight tonight."

The badgermole rumbled again. "Well, it's an earthbending tournament," Toph replied. "It's called Earth Rumble Six. I bribed my way in."

Yama snorted, almost like a laugh. Toph laughed as well. "Yes, I know I'm a horrible person, but it was the only way. You know how my dad is; he would never let me spar with Master Yu. But with this earthbending tournament, I'll finally be able to fight someone and hone my skills." She gave Yama one last hug before running off. "Wish me luck!" she called, earthbending herself underground again.

She tunneled past the town and toward her destination: the underground stadium where the tournament was held. Xin Fu met her at the door. "He…hello, there, Blind Bandit." He seemed nervous, and with good reason: his entire future hinged on this mysterious new fighter. He led her into the stadium and into a room next to the ring. "This is where you will wait until it is time. Your fight will be the first one for tonight, and if you win, you will move on to the next round." He wrung his hands and wiped sweat from his face. "So, um…about our agreement…"

Toph held the gold up to him, but pulled it away at the last minute. "How do I know you won't just snatch the gold and shove me away? I'll give it to you after the fight." Xin Fu groaned in frustration and walked away. Toph pocketed the gold again. She neither liked nor trusted the retired wrestler; she scoffed at the fact that he could be bought off so easily. _This guy will do anything anybody says, provided they pay him enough. He's just like Master Yu. _Still, however, it was his money-grabbing that got her into the tournament in the first place, so in a way, she was grateful.

She waited for what seemed like forever. The crowd began to trickle in as the time drew near. Toph leaned against the wall and tried to clear her mind. Her first fight…it seemed like only yesterday she had first wandered into the badgermoles' cave. No bending, could barely feel any vibrations…and here she was, only ten years old, about to enter the fighting ring for the first time. She felt a rush of nervousness when she was finally summoned to the ring. _I've come a long way…now it's time to see just how far I've come._


	15. Chapter 15

"Welcome to Earth Rumble Six! I am your host, Xin Fu!" In spite of the scattered applause that followed his introduction, Toph detected a slight shaking in his voice. _Don't worry, old moneybags, you'll still get your gold_, she thought.

A young attendant led Toph to the arena. "So, you're the new fighter that Xin Fu has been talking about," she said, coldly. "A bit…young, aren't you?"

Toph shrugged, secretly relieved that she didn't mention her blindness. "What does it matter? Xin Fu needed new earthbenders, and he got one."

The attendant sighed skeptically. "Well, my name is Ming. If you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

"Actually, there is something I'd like to know," Toph answered. "Am I allowed to know who I am fighting?"

Ming paused. "Usually, no, but since this is your first fight, I'll make an exception." Ming leaned toward Toph's ear. "His character name is Fire Nation Man," she whispered. "He's a sandbender from the Si Wong Desert. If you're really as good as you say you are, he shouldn't be too much trouble…but again, this is your first fight, so keep your guard up."

Toph muttered her thanks and walked out to the arena. Almost immediately, she could hear whispers from the audience.

"Who's that?"

"Do you know who she is?"

"Maybe she's a towel girl or something…"

_Don't be insecure, don't be insecure_, she thought. _Deep breaths…concentrate…_

"We have a special treat for our audience tonight," Xin Fu announced. "A brand new fighter, showing off her skills for the first time! Don't be fooled by her appearance, ladies and gentlemen…this girl will _rock _your world!" The audience groaned at the pun. Xin Fu giggled nervously before stuttering out his next words. "Ladies and gentlemen…THE BLIND BANDIT!"

He ended on a flourish, and a spotlight shown down on Toph. A moment of silence passed before the audience suddenly burst into laughter. Xin Fu trembled at the sound, but Toph stood, arms crossed, silent. She blushed slightly, but she was not surprised by the audience's reaction. In fact, she had expected it. She could hear Ming and the other attendants laughing as well, and her cheeks burned even more. _Just you wait…just you wait…_

When the laughter had died down, Xin Fu collected himself. "Round One…the Blind Bandit versus…FIRE NATION MAN!"

The audience booed and threw small stones at Toph's opponent. Toph could feel him walking into the ring…she could tell he was slightly heavyset and waved a flag over his head. Toph could only assume that it was the Fire Nation flag. He stood at the opposite end of the arena before addressing the audience. "Please to rise for the Fire Nation national oath!" The audience booed even louder, and no one bothered to rise. "My life, I give to my country. With my hands, I fight for Fire Lord Ozai…" The rest of his speech was drowned out by the audience. Toph could feel him bending down on one knee, spreading his arms dramatically as he continued his speech. _You've got to be kidding me. This guy is a joke. _

He finally rose, handing off his flag to an attendant and facing Toph. "You're a little young, aren't you, Blind Bandit?" he drawled, in a thick accent. "Well, let's get this over with quickly, so you don't miss your bedtime!"

Only a few audience members laughed at the taunt. _That accent has got to be fake. _She paused as she tried to think of a good comeback. "Well, you seem to have a bit of a weight problem, Fire Nation Man. Been eating too many dumplings, lately?"

"Ooooooh!"

Toph grinned at the audience's reaction. Reassured by their applause, she uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you going to stand there and talk all night, or are we going to get this fight over with? It doesn't matter to me, but I personally think you could use the exercise…"

The audience laughed and applauded, eager for the fight to start. Now it was Fire Nation Man's turn to blush. Even from across the arena, Toph could feel him trembling in anger and embarrassment. _Sorry, guy, but I won't be comic relief, like you._ She assumed her stance. "Come on, Chubby, I'm waiting!"

That did it. Without another word, Fire Nation Man sent a tornado of dust toward her. Surprised by the swift attack, Toph hesitated before quickly bending herself underground. Not a moment too soon; she could feel the breeze from the tornado as she disappeared into the hole. She winced when a shard of sharp rock grazed her forehead; a small stream of blood began to run down her cheek. _I don't have time to hesitate, _she thought, angrily. _Don't wait next time!_

When the Blind Bandit disappeared underground, everybody assumed that she had been knocked out of the ring. Fire Nation Man began to raise his arms in triumph when Toph suddenly popped out of the ground next to him. She grinned in his direction as he gasped in surprise. "It'll take more than that to defeat the Blind Bandit! Come on; give me your best shot!"

What happened next was essentially a living, breathing Whack-A-Badgermole game. His ire roused, Fire Nation Man began shooting large boulders at Toph, but he couldn't land a single blow. Toph just kept dropping underground and then popping back up in a different area of the ring. The audience roared with laughter at the comical sight; Fire Nation Man's face was red with frustration. "JUST STAY STILL!" he shouted in a normal voice.

Without missing a beat, Toph shouted back: "Ha! I knew that accent was fake!" This was almost too much for the audience. They cheered even louder, chanting "Bandit! Bandit!" Toph grinned with pride while Fire Nation Man looked around in desperation. He'd had enough, Toph knew. She was done playing around. It was time to end this.

Toph felt Fire Nation Man step forward; he was attempting another attack. He sent one more dust tornado in her direction. She had anticipated this, so she stepped neatly to the side before counterattacking. Shards of earth jutted out of the ground and moved rapidly toward the unlucky fighter. He didn't even have time to react; the earth shards blasted him out of the ring and into the stands.

A moment of awed silence followed. The dust cleared, and Fire Nation Man could be seen groaning on the floor next to the ring. Toph panted, still in her stance as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Everybody was speechless as they stared at the small girl in the center of the ring.

Xin Fu, overjoyed, quickly recovered. "THE BLIND BANDIT WINS!" he shouted. The audience roared with applause. Toph could hardly believe it. She had won! She bowed to the audience, eliciting even more cheers. This was almost too good to be true…_I won! I actually won!_

"We will have a brief intermission, after which we will continue with Round Two, with the Blind Bandit versus The Gecko!" Xin Fu announced.

Toph laughed loudly. "Bring it on!" she shouted.

The audience erupted once more.

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Author's note: Toph vs. FNM...was there ever any real doubt:) This was a tough chapter to write because I usually don't do action scenes, so I hope this is okay.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's note: If you came to this chapter hoping for another epic battle sequence, I'm sorry to disappoint. I figured that it would be really redundant for me to describe every single fight, so I decided to just skip it and move the story along. Hope you understand. :)

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The rest of the competitors were no real challenge; their skills had grown rusty from lack of practice. The Gecko turned out to be just a skinny little masked man who crawled around like a lizard…and the rest weren't much better. Toph wasted no time in sending them over the edge of the ring, and by the time she reached the champion, she could feel him trembling in fear. She smiled. _I hate to do this to you, but…_A platform of earth sprang out of the ground underneath him, effectively flinging him out of the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen...we have a new champion! Give it up for the Blind Bandit!"

Toph never could remember exactly what happened next. All she could remember was that she was suddenly aware of everything at once…the spectators were on their feet, Xin Fu was making some kind of announcement, Ming and the attendants were standing in shocked silence, her own heart was racing…it all became too much. The audience's cheers quickly turned into surprised gasps when the Blind Bandit suddenly collapsed in the middle of the ring.

Astonished, Xin Fu tried to diffuse the situation. "Uh…it's okay, folks, I'm sure the Blind Bandit is just a little winded after that extraordinary fighting! She'll be just fine." Xin Fu looked nervously at Toph's still body as the attendants rushed forward to help her. He hoped she was okay, if only because he knew that her fights would attract bigger crowds. Not to mention the fact that he still wanted her money.

Toph was carried out of the ring and into the same room she had waited in before. The audience quietly filed out of the stadium with murmurs of concern. The other competitors watched as the small girl was carried past them. The Blind Bandit fainted…it was a stark contrast to the trash-talking opponent they had encountered before. _Surely it's just a ruse_, they thought. _It must be some publicity stunt to make the audience sympathize with her_. They all knew that they were wrong, but they still resented the fact that they had been beaten by a little girl…and a blind one, at that. Their eyes burned with anger as they left the stadium, all swearing vengeance on the Blind Bandit.

Toph slowly regained consciousness. She woke up to find herself lying on the floor, surrounded by concerned attendants. _Oh, I must have fainted out there. _She gasped and sat straight up. "How long have I been out?" she asked.

"Don't worry, you were only unconscious for a few minutes," Ming replied. "The action out there tonight must have overwhelmed you. You should take it easy for a little while."

Xin Fu walked in. "The audience is gone now. How is she?"

Toph sighed. "_She_ is fine," she said, sarcastically, "but _she'll_ be a lot better once _she's_ had some water or something."

"Uh, yes, of course. Everyone, can you go fetch some water for her? I'd like to talk to her alone."

She waited until everyone was gone. "It doesn't take that many people to fetch some water. What do you want?" she asked.

"Don't play dumb with me," Xin Fu growled. "We made a deal."

"Okay, fine, here you go," she said, tossing the gold at him. _What's his problem? _she thought.

"You fought very well tonight, but your little fainting game was uncalled for. Don't let it happen again."

Toph could hardly believe her ears. "You think I did it on purpose? I've never done anything like this before, okay? The excitement was a lot to take!"

"Well, even so, I can't have a fainting champion. People will interpret it as weakness, and that could hurt the crowds a bit."

"Come on, you really think that people will stop coming because of a little faint? People come to these tournaments for the action, and if they get it, it doesn't matter what else happens."

"Just don't do it anymore. You fight for me now, and so now I'm depending on you for my income. And I'm warning you, Blind Bandit…if you fail me, you fail Earth Rumble Six. I know where you live, Ms. Bei Fong. Remember that."

Toph could feel her anger rising within her. "Are you threatening me?"

"I'm a business man. You said so yourself, when we first met. And when my employees fail me, there are serious consequences."

"You're forgetting something very important, Xin Fu."

Toph leaned forward, poking him in the chest. "I'm better than you." Xin Fu frowned angrily, but remained silent. She was right, and he knew it, but he was serious about his threat. If she failed, he would find a way to bring her down. _I'll bide my time_, he thought.

Ming returned with a glass of water. "Are you alright, Blind Bandit?"

"Yes. I was just leaving." She sipped from the glass and tossed it aside, walking out toward the stadium's exit.

Ming followed. "Would you like a towel or something for that cut?"

Toph had completely forgotten about the cut on her forehead, and by now, the blood had dried and crusted on her face. _Crud, I'll have to think of a good story for when Dad sees it_. "No thanks, Ming. I'll take care of it when I get home."

She reached the exit, which was different from the one that the audiences used. She was glad; much as she wanted to, the last thing she needed was to be swamped by fans (she grinned at the thought) and have her identity found out. _I'll remain a mystery_, she thought. _The mysterious Blind Bandit…I like that._

Just before she went underground to begin tunneling home, she heard Xin Fu call out to her. She could feel his footsteps coming near her, and she could tell that he was holding something, though she didn't know what. "Here," he said, reaching her. "I was supposed to present this to you after you won, but under the circumstances, I didn't get the chance." Toph took the large bundle and noted how heavy it felt. "Bring that with you from now on. Your next fight is in three weeks." He turned and coldly walked back the stadium.

Toph unwrapped the bundle, which turned out to be a heavy belt. The champion's belt of Earth Rumble Six.


	17. Chapter 17

The Blind Bandit quickly became a sensation. By her next fight, word had already spread about her impressive earthbending, and the audience had nearly doubled in size. Competitors from other earthbending tournaments heard about the new fighter and came to challenge her, only to be humiliated and flung out of the ring. In the weeks and months that followed, more and more people came to Earth Rumble Six, eager for a good show. And naturally, Toph was all too eager to please.

One thing that the crowds liked about the Blind Bandit was her variety; most competitors had their own distinctive fighting style to go with their character, but Toph preferred experimenting with different moves and utilizing the ones she liked. During one fight, she would cover herself with rock armor and rush her opponent; during another, she would create a wave of earth and "surf" across the ring. She never ran out of ideas, and she was constantly inventing new moves.

By the time Toph was eleven years old, she still hadn't been beaten in the tournaments. Things were still tense between herself and Xin Fu, despite the fact that business was booming. He constantly watched her with suspicion and paranoia, convinced that she would somehow pull a scam on him and steal his money. Toph refused to let him ruin her enjoyment of the tournaments; she knew that she held the upper hand in the situation. However, she didn't want to let her guard down, for fear that he would follow through on his threats.

Toph's life now followed a routine. She made appearances at Earth Rumble Six once every three weeks, and she practiced every night with Yama the badgermole. Her weekly "lessons" with Master Yu were still occurring, but no one could even call them "lessons" anymore. Both teacher and student dreaded the lessons; they basically just reviewed basic forms every single week. Master Yu kept it up because Lao paid him well, but Toph felt like she couldn't take the boredom much longer.

Still, her time at Earth Rumble Six made up for her pathetic private lessons. Her quick wit and entertaining fights made her the most popular competitor in the tournament – among the audience members at least. But no matter how much they tried, nobody could get close enough to her even to ask for an autograph. She just disappeared every single night, and though the fans hunted for her, nobody knew where she went. Of course, this only fueled the fans' fervor, and there was much speculation about her true identity.

Meanwhile, at the Bei Fong estate, nobody would have guessed that little Toph Bei Fong was living a double life. Lao and Poppy did not care about earthbending tournaments; Lao dismissed them as the entertainment of peasants. Toph thought that her parents' obliviousness was incredible…all these years, without the slightest suspicion of her! She often wondered what would happen if her parents found out that she wasn't the obedient little angel that they thought she was…then again, the thought also scared her.

One night, Toph sat at the dinner table with her parents. Toph fought to pace her eating; her next fight was that night, and she was eager to "go to bed" and then sneak out of the house. She chewed her food carefully, trying to decide what new move she would perform on her opponent tonight. _Maybe I'll try to make an artificial earthquake and make him fall over the edge…or maybe I could flip him underground and let him try to find his way out…or maybe I'll do the earth wave; the audience liked that move last time…_

Her father's words suddenly caught her ear. "Did you hear about those badgermole tunnels that were found nearby?"

"Why, no," Poppy answered. "Badgermoles living near us? Well, imagine that!"

Lao scoffed. "Don't get worked up over it. The mayor decided that wild badgermoles are too dangerous to have near our town."

"But why? They aren't hurting anybody."

"Even so, the mayor decided that it will only be a matter of time before they venture out of their caves and wreak havoc on our town, so he sent out a band of earthbenders and soldiers to exterminate them."

Toph's heart skipped a beat as Lao continued. "Good riddance, I say. I don't even want to think about those terrible beasts wandering free around here."

"They're going to kill a bunch of creatures that aren't doing anything wrong? That's horrible!"

"Not half as horrible as what would happen if they wandered free. And besides, it's too late now; the extermination was completed this afternoon. Trust me, it was for the best."

Toph's hands trembled. _No…it can't be…_She dropped her chopsticks and heard them clatter on the floor. Poppy looked up. "Toph, are you alright? You look a little pale."

Toph took a deep breath and tried to force herself to speak. "I…think I should…go to bed now."

"Not feeling well again? Okay, then. Come along."

Toph sprang out of bed as soon as she had the chance and dashed out the window, not even caring if anyone saw her. She ran through the woods surrounding the estate, finally coming to the same cave that she had wandered into as a child. Her heart sank as she came closer; the opening was filled in with earth. She quickly bended it out of the way and stood before the open cave. "Yama?" she called, her voice shaking. She desperately searched for any sign of her friend…for _any_ of the badgermoles…but she could feel nothing. The caves were completely empty; not a single vibration came from within. _Maybe he ran away…he had to. He can't be…He just can't…_

Toph knew that she was just fooling herself; there was no way Yama could have survived. A cold breeze picked up, whistling across the mouth of the cave. It was the saddest sound she had ever heard in her life; she sank to her knees, weeping bitterly. "Yama..." she finally said, tears streaming down her face, "...you were my first real friend, and my first real teacher." She bowed before the empty cave. "I'll never forget you."

That night, the Blind Bandit fought her quickest battle yet. Her opponent didn't even have time for a taunt before she hit him with a strong earth blast, ending the fight in record time. The audience watched in shocked silence as the Blind Bandit turned and walked silently out of the ring instead of staying to gloat about her victory. Everybody noticed the way her shoulders slumped and the way she hanged her head. Ming and the attendants fearfully parted as she passed by, not even stopping to collect the champion's belt.

The only thing they could do was watch in awe, wondering what had caused the Blind Bandit such grief.


	18. Chapter 18

Things were never the same after Yama died. Toph visited their special practice area the next night, almost expecting him to be there. She was saddened but not surprised when he wasn't. She sat on a small boulder, trying not to imagine how Yama might have felt during his final moments. _I hope he didn't suffer…_

She didn't practice that night. After a few hours of reminiscing about their times together, she cleared away the earth that blocked the cave's entrance as a silent tribute to her friend. It just wouldn't be the same without him, she knew, so she finally turned away from the place and walked home, vowing never to return.

And that was it. It was a hard loss, but Toph knew that she shouldn't dwell on the past. For a short time, she considered giving up earthbending, but decided against it; with her only friend gone, her bending was all she had left. _I'll keep going_, she decided. _I'll keep going for him._ And so, three weeks later, she went back to Earth Rumble Six. Though it was quite some time before she had the heart to taunt her opponents again, she found great comfort in her fighting. With each victory, she could almost hear Yama's grunts of approval. It never failed to make her smile.

The Blind Bandit's popularity held strong, but audiences were beginning to become accustomed to her act. To spice things up and keep the crowds interested, Xin Fu proposed a contest. Volunteers from the audience would be brought into the ring to fight with Toph, and if they defeated her, they would win a sack of gold. It certainly captured the audience's attention, and several of the first volunteers were curious investigators who suspected that the Blind Bandit was a phony. They stepped into the ring, determined to prove that the fights were all set up. Naturally, Toph wasted no time in setting them straight.

Things couldn't have been better for her. The challengers and fans kept coming. Fans of her past opponents also began to join the crowds, just to see if the Blind Bandit would finally fail. However, she was deemed undefeatable by her fans, and each new victory seemed to bring further confirmation to that claim. Her challengers scoffed…everybody had a weakness, and she was no different. Ultimately, it came down to one thing: who would finally defeat the Blind Bandit?

The answer would come in a way that no one expected…and it was an event that changed Toph's life forever.

It all began as a normal night. Toph relaxed in the champion's room until she was called to the arena. Almost effortlessly, she took down her opponent, a cocky, loud and downright unlikable character called The Boulder. After forcing him into a painful set of splits (_There's nothing funnier than a grown man squealing like a little girl_, she thought with a smirk), she sent three large shards of earth to shoot him out of the ring.

"Your winner…and _still _the champion…THE BLIND BANDIT!"

Toph smiled proudly. _That sentence just never gets old_, she thought, raising her fist in triumph. _Another victory for you, Yama. _She felt Xin Fu leap down from his platform and into the ring, ready with the sack of gold. They had been through this so many times; Toph knew his speech before he even said it.

"To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit!" The crowd was suddenly silent, eager to see if anyone would accept the challenge. "What?" Xin Fu said, mockingly. "No one dares to face her?"

"I will!"

The crowd murmured their approval as the volunteer entered the ring. Toph could hardly believe it…he felt very lightweight, and she estimated that he couldn't be much taller than she. _This is going to be a cinch_, she thought. _I'll go easy on him…but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with him first. _"Does anyone want to see _two _little girls fighting out here?" she taunted. She smirked at the audience's reaction, but was surprised by the volunteer's.

"I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you."

_Oh great_, she thought. _Another fanboy._

"Boo! No talking!" someone yelled from the stands. Toph bit her lip in annoyance; she had heard that same guy whooping and hollering during the entire match. _Geez, what a loudmouth_, she thought, before turning her attention back to her opponent.

He took a step forward, and Toph smirked with confidence. _Big mistake there, buddy. _She sent some earth in his direction, expecting to feel him get thrown out of the ring. But she was surprised when his body simply rode with it, instead of fighting against it…he just disappeared from her sight for a few seconds. Toph stood, wary, until he finally came softly to rest a little ways behind her. _I can't believe it…this guy can hover!_

She turned around to face him, trying to appear confident. "Somebody's a little light on his feet. What's your fighting name? The Fancy Dancer?" She didn't bother to wait for a response from the audience; she didn't want to show it, but this strange volunteer worried her. A lot.

She attacked him again, with the same result…he disappeared once again. "Where'd you go?"

He floated for a few seconds before gently coming back to the ground. "Please, wait!"

"There you are!" Toph now knew that it was useless trying to fling him out of the ring; she had to try a different approach. _Maybe if I can just hit him so he can't float…_

She spun around quickly and sent a large boulder at him, hoping to catch him off guard. A split second later, she was hit with something. She cried out in surprise; she had never felt anything like this before. It definitely wasn't earth; it felt like wind, only stronger. Much stronger. Whatever it was, it knocked her off her feet, sending her sliding across the ring and over the edge. Toph landed hard on her back.

_So, this is how it feels to lose. _She finally understood why everyone hated it so much.

The crowd suddenly erupted with cheers for the strange boy who had defeated her. Her fans were cheering for someone else! Furious, Toph stood and stormed out of the room. She felt the boy running after her. "Please, listen!" he shouted. "I need an earthbending teacher, and I think it's supposed to be you!"

"Whoever you are, just leave me alone!" she shouted back. Toph wanted nothing to do with him. She bended a door in the wall of the arena, closing it behind her. It brought her directly outside. She didn't want to face Xin Fu or the attendants…not even her so-called fans who now cheered for a complete stranger.

She fumed as she tunneled home, wondering what to do next. She had lost...not just any loss, but a very humiliating one. At that very moment, that kid was being named champion…and he wasn't a real competitor. He wasn't even an earthbender! Toph had no idea what kind of bending he had used against her, or if it was even a form of bending. Nor did she care. It didn't matter; she had lost.

_How can I show my face back there again? _She could probably win back the belt, but nobody would ever see her in the same way. The once-mighty Blind Bandit had been defeated by a kid…the embarrassment was too much to take.

_So I guess that's it, then_, she thought. _The Blind Bandit will never show her face at Earth Rumble Six again._

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Author's note: And now we've finally come to _that _part of the story. :) Next chapter coming soon.


	19. Chapter 19

The next day, Toph was still bitter about her defeat. To make matters worse, her parents invited Master Yu over for dinner so they could discuss her training and her future as an earthbender. Toph didn't feel like keeping up her "helpless little blind girl" act after her rough night, so while her parents socialized with Master Yu, she snuck away and went outside. _Alone time…that's all I want_, she thought as she walked out to the gardens.

She sat on the stone bench next to the pond, almost smiling as she remembered the summer day seven years before. Sitting in her mother's lap, listening to a story…those were happier times. It was a stark contrast to their relationship now. Toph could hardly believe that they had once been so close…now, she avoided her mother as much as possible. As Toph sat on the old stone bench, she was saddened when she realized how much their former bond had changed.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt someone climbing over the wall. _Trespassers…and it feels like three of them. _She stood, ready to call the guards, but something held her back. _Those footsteps feel familiar. _One person stood out from the other two: lightweight and soft-footed. _No…it couldn't be…_

It was, and Toph's anger from the previous night returned. Bent on revenge, she sent a surge of earth in their direction. She smiled when the three intruders went flying, but was disappointed when two of them landed harmlessly in the bushes. "What are you doing here, Twinkletoes?" she asked, standing over them.

"How did you know it was me?"

One of his companions, the loudmouth from the previous night, shook his head in disbelief. "Don't answer to 'Twinkletoes', it's not manly!"

"You're the one whose bag matches his belt," the last person, a girl, said in a motherly tone.

_What a crew_, Toph thought. _Twinkletoes, Loudmouth, and Babysitter. _"How did you find me?"

Twinkletoes floated away from the bush and stood in front of Toph. _There he goes again with that floating thing…how in the world does he do it? _"Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and…" he babbled. Toph raised an eyebrow. What was this weird kid talking about?

His female friend cut him off. "What Aang is trying to say is…" _Aang…so that's his name, huh? _"…he's the Avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon, he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord."

_Twinkletoes is the Avatar? Oh, please. _Toph still didn't know what to make of these weird kids, but she wanted nothing to do with them. She held up a hand in the girl's direction. "Not my problem. Now get out of here, or I'll call the guards," she said, walking away from them.

"Look," said Loudmouth, "we all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang earthbending."

_Boy, these kids just jump right into business, don't they? We still don't even know each others' names. _Greatly annoyed, Toph decided to follow through with her threat. "Guards!" she shouted in a scared tone. "Guards, help!" She grinned when the three kids scattered, climbing back over the wall. She pushed her loose hair back behind her ears as the guards came running.

"Toph, what happened?"

_Time to play "helpless little blind girl". _"I…thought I heard someone. I got scared."

The guards began to lead her back to the house. "You know your father doesn't want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph." _Of course I know…why do you think I continue to do it? _Toph thought. She could feel three sets of footsteps walking along the outside wall. She could only hope that they had given up and would leave her alone. _Mission accomplished,_ she thought with a smirk.

"Your parents are meeting with Master Yu now, and they want you to be there too." They led Toph into the house, where her parents and Master Yu waited. After bowing and sitting, Toph wondered why she always had to come to these "discussions". Master Yu and Lao did all the talking; Toph was forbidden to speak. Furthermore, they always said the same thing. First Master Yu would drone on about how Toph had completely mastered the breathing exercises and how she was doing very well with forms. Then Lao would say something about how glad he was to hear it, and then remind Master Yu that Toph was not to do anything dangerous (in other words, anything beyond forms and breathing). Master Yu would then reassure Lao, and Lao would be relieved. In another few months, Master Yu would come back, and they would go through the whole thing again. It was all so pointless; it was as if they were both determined to remind Toph how useless her private lessons were.

This time, though, Toph had something else to think about. She thought she could feel footsteps approaching the house. A servant walked into the room. "Excuse me, sir, but you have a visitor."

"Who thinks they are so important that they can just come to my home unannounced?" Lao asked, angrily. _Uh oh, _Toph thought. _That could only be…_

"Umm…the Avatar, sir."

_I knew it._ Once again, Twinkletoes had gotten the best of her.

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Author's note: In case you couldn't tell, I'm getting into the last few chapters of this fic. I've got a few more chapters planned, plus an epilogue. And since I'm on Thanksgiving break, the next chapter may come sooner than usual. :)


	20. Chapter 20

Author's note: Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoyed your turkey and ham and whatever else you ate today. And you'd better have eaten a lot. :) New chapter, and it's a nice long one. My longest yet, I do believe.

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Toph felt sorry for the servants…she couldn't imagine the chaos happening in the kitchen. Word arrived that the Avatar himself was visiting, so they busily tried to prepare an extravagant meal. Toph thought they did very well, considering that it was last minute, but Lao was worried that his guests would be unsatisfied.

As it turned out, the Avatar and his friends (especially Loudmouth) were quite easy to please when it came to food. Loudmouth wasted no time in gobbling down his bowl of rice, also trying meat on the side. Aang and his female friend were more polite, thanking the servants and waiting until everybody else had been served. One servant placed a steaming bowl of miso soup in front of Toph. "Blow on it," Lao ordered. "It's too hot for her."

"Allow me," Aang said, producing a tiny tornado that quickly cooled Toph's soup. The others applauded. _Airbending! _Toph realized. _That's what he used to defeat me. _There was no denying it, then…Aang really was the Avatar. _And I kicked him out of the estate_, she thought, somewhat guiltily. _I'll have to apologize later._

"Avatar Aang," Poppy was saying. "It's an honor to have you visit us."

"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao asked. Toph scoffed silently. _Can't you save war talk until later? The Avatar probably gets asked that all the time._

"I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer," Aang replied, "but I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first." Toph knew the statement was directed at her.

"Well," said Lao, "Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land." Master Yu dabbed his mouth, trying to appear humble. "He's been teaching Toph since she was little."

_And he's done a wonderful job_, Toph thought, sarcastically. "Then she must be a great earthbender!" Aang exclaimed. _Uh oh…_ "Probably good enough to teach someone else…OW!" Toph sent a shock wave under the table to quiet him. Lao stared, then looked at Toph, suspicious. Toph smiled slightly, innocently eating some rice.

The awkward conversation continued. "Toph is still learning the basics," Master Yu said, slightly miffed that Aang could think that a blind girl was capable of "great earthbending".

"Yes," Lao sighed. "And sadly, because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master." _There he goes again, talking about me like I'm not here_, Toph thought, still maintaining her innocent appearance. In reality, she was alert, ready to silence Twinkletoes if he said anything stupid.

She didn't have long to wait. "Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is…" _Shut it!_ Toph sent another shock wave at Aang, violently sliding his chair forward and sending him face-first into his soup. Shocked, everybody stared, unsure of what to do or say. Toph smiled again, eating more rice and waiting for the conversation to continue.

Instead, Aang retaliated with a surprise of his own…a powerful sneeze that blasted the food off the table, covering Master Yu, Poppy, and Toph. Toph's now-empty bowl fell from her face and back to the table, and she lost her temper. "What's your problem?" she said, standing angrily.

"What's _your_ problem?" Aang shot back, standing himself. An uncomfortable silence followed, with Lao looking back and forth between the two children. For once, he wasn't sure which one to side with.

"Well," Poppy said, trying to diffuse the situation, "shall we…move to the living room for dessert, then?"

Toph appreciated her mother's effort to restore peace, but she had lost her appetite, as did most of the people at the table…although she did notice Loudmouth sneaking a piece of meat off the floor before the servants could clean up. The servants showed Aang and his friends to their room for the night, while Toph went to her own room to clean up and change into her pajamas. There, she congratulated herself. Dinner had been ruined, but at least she had kept Twinkletoes from giving too much away.

Still, though, she didn't want to be on bad terms with Aang. She went to their room, hoping to explain herself, as well as get some explanations herself. "Good night, buddy," she heard Aang saying as she got closer. She entered the room and heard Aang yell in surprise and jump into a combat position. His friends sat nearby, anxious.

"Relax," Toph said, leaning against the doorframe. "Look, I'm sorry about dinner. Let's call a truce, okay?" Still wary, Aang lowered his stance. "I don't think we've officially met yet," Toph said. "My name is Toph." She bowed.

"I'm Aang, and these are my friends, Katara and Sokka. They're from the Southern Water Tribe."

"Water Tribe?" Toph turned toward them. "Are you waterbenders?"

"She is," Sokka replied. "I fight with weapons."

_Good luck with that_, Toph thought, turning back to Aang. "I'm sorry for kicking you out earlier…I didn't believe you when you said you were the Avatar."

"I understand," Aang said. "Most people just recognize me by my airbender tattoos, but I guess you would have an issue with that," he said, somewhat playfully.

Toph had no idea what he meant by "tattoos," but decided not to press the issue. "Listen…can I talk to you alone somewhere? I'd ask your friends to come, but it seems that someone decided to hit the sack early…"

Sure enough, Sokka was already fast asleep, snoring loudly. Katara laughed. "Go ahead, Aang. I'll wait up for you."

Toph led Aang out of the room. She grabbed his arm. "Pretend like you're leading me somewhere." Confused, Aang complied. "Now, if we see anybody, just play along, okay?"

Just as Toph suspected, they ran into Lao on the way out. "Where are you two going?"

"Hi Daddy," Toph answered, sweetly. "I wanted to apologize to the Avatar for the way I acted earlier, so we're going outside to talk." Aang chuckled nervously and nodded. "I'll be okay, Daddy. I have the Avatar with me."

Satisfied, Lao nodded and allowed them to pass. Once outside, Toph sighed and let go of Aang's arm. "Good, now we'll have some privacy. No one roams the grounds at night."

"How do you know?" Aang asked, looking toward the guards at the gate.

"Trust me, I know." They walked away from the house, toward the gardens and a small creek that fed the pond. A bridge stretched across the creek, and Toph leaned casually against the stone guardrail. "I hope you realize that you completely ruined my career at Earth Rumble Six."

Aang scratched his head. "Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean for it to happen." He joined Toph, leaning against the guardrail. "You can have the championship back…I just wanted to talk to you."

"About being your earthbending teacher, right?" Aang nodded. "I wish I could, but I live a pretty restricted life." Without warning, she hopped on top of the guardrail. Startled, Aang tried to get her back down.

"What are you doing? You'll fall into the creek!"

"Oh, please. Don't start acting like my parents. I can take care of myself." She stretched out her hands to balance herself and began walking along the guardrail, crossing the bridge. Aang followed. "Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing." She hopped down onto the grass. She smiled when she landed, detecting the vibrations as her feet made contact with the ground. "I 'see' with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet." Aang listened, curious. Toph continued. "I feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can 'see' where everything is. You, that tree…even those ants." Sure enough, several feet away, tiny ants worked on their mound of earth. Toph could even feel them underground, and if she concentrated, she could feel the insect tunnels throughout the ground, even under their feet.

"That's amazing!" Aang said.

Toph frowned. "My parents don't understand. They've always treated me like I was helpless."

"Is that why you became the Blind Bandit?"

"Yeah."

"Then why stay here, where you're not happy?"

Toph could not remember how many times she'd imagined running away somewhere, finally free to practice her earthbending without secrecy. Still… "They're my _parents_. Where else am I supposed to go?"

"…You could come with us!"

"Yeah…you guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do…that's the life." It sounded wonderful. Traveling with the Avatar, joining him on his adventures…anything sounded better than here. But…"It's just not my life."

So, that was it. She had resigned herself to a double life. Her parents would never allow their daughter to go on such a dangerous mission. An opportunity like this would probably never come again, and it saddened Toph, but this was the way it had to be. She just couldn't bring herself to run away…she couldn't imagine how much that would hurt her parents.

Toph became distracted when she detected footsteps outside the walls of the estate, moving toward herself and Aang. They felt much too organized to be somebody just out for a stroll, and she felt someone tunneling toward them. She started when she realized what was going on. "We're being ambushed!" She dropped to the ground, feeling for the ambushers' location. She grabbed Aang's hand and ran with him, but it was too late. The tunneling person quickly overtook them, cornering them against the wall. Toph recognized him as the Gopher, a competitor at the tournament. _What's he doing here?_

Aang and Toph were in their fighting stances, ready to defend themselves. However, Toph quickly realized that Gopher was just a distraction…she suddenly felt people on top of the wall behind them. Two metal cages dropped down, a cage for each child. _Crud, I should have focused on everything instead of just one thing. _The other attackers dropped to the ground in front of the cages. One finally spoke.

"I think you kids owe me some money."

His voice made Toph's blood boil.


	21. Chapter 21

Author's note: Believe it or not, I actually have an update the day after my last one. :) I was going to merge this chapter with the next one, but I decided that this deserved its own chapter. It's short, but sweet. Enjoy!

(And by the way, this chapter is not meant to portray any kind of shipping affiliation.)

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Toph was still steaming as the entire tournament host carried the two cages back to the arena. They didn't bother with being gentle, either…they mercilessly shook the cages as they walked, jostling the children inside, even going so far as to purposefully drop them. The Boulder, the Gecko, the Gopher, the Big Bad Hippo, Fire Nation Man…and leading them all, Xin Fu. The other competitors were relishing this…finally, they had the Blind Bandit exactly where they wanted her: contained and, for once, helpless. Toph demanded an explanation, but received only jeers in response.

By the time they reached the arena, Toph was able to piece together the reason for her capture. Apparently Xin Fu believe that she had lost to Aang on purpose, therefore cheating him out of his gold. _I should have known that Old Moneybags would come after me. _Why they captured Aang, she didn't know, but she knew better than to assume the best of the situation.

Once at the arena, the two cages were suspended on ropes far above the floor. Toph didn't want to admit it, but she hated heights with a passion…they were even worse than deep water. To be suspended away from the ground meant that she was separated from vibrations, and now she was only aware of the cold metal box she was in. The gentle swinging of the box didn't help, either…Toph hated the fact that she wasn't in control.

She carefully stood, stomach turning slightly with the rocking of the cage. She grabbed the bars in the window to steady herself. "Aang," she called. "Are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here," he answered. Toph was relieved; it sounded like his cage was only a few feet away from hers. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm a little bruised from the trip here, but other than that…" She sighed, rubbing a tender spot on her arm. "I don't hear Xin Fu or the others…are they down there?"

"No. They left right after they hoisted us up here…I think they went outside to watch for the people coming for us."

Silence passed for a few minutes. "Don't worry, Toph. Katara said she would wait up for me, and as soon as she realizes that something's wrong, she and Sokka will come."

"Those are some good friends you have, Aang. You're really lucky to have them."

"Well, we've been through a lot together," Aang said, smiling at the memories he shared with Katara and Sokka. "So, what about you? Do you have any close friends?"

Toph backed away from the bars, sitting on the floor of her cage. When she spoke, Aang could barely hear her. "I did once, but not a person."

"Oh. Was it a pet?"

"…No, not really, but he was my only friend for a long time. It's amazing what you can learn from someone who can't even talk to you."

Aang laughed. "I know exactly what you mean. My buddy Appa and I…we go way back, even before Katara and Sokka. There's nothing wrong with having animals as friends; in fact, sometimes they're more understanding than humans."

Toph smiled. "I know that's true…Yama was exactly the same way."

"So, what happened to him?"

A long silence followed. "…He's gone," Toph said, finally.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. I once knew someone named Gyatso…" He stopped, and neither child spoke for some time.

Finally, Toph stood, grabbing hold of the bars again. "You know, Aang, I'm really glad I met you. You're the first person that I've ever felt comfortable talking to…you actually understand me."

"Hey, no problem. We're just talking, it's no big deal…"

"Well, it is to me. Yama was my friend, but we couldn't speak with each other. It feels nice to have someone to talk to, and…well…" she reached her hand out of the bars, "…thank you."

Aang understood. He reached through his bars as well, taking her hand in his. "That's what friends are for."


	22. Chapter 22

Author's note: Man, I'm just flying along with this thing, aren't I:) Though now that I'm back in school, the next chapter may have to wait.

Anyway, the moment you've all been waiting for: The Blind Bandit vs. Everyone Else!

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A few hours passed. Toph and Aang were quiet, for the most part. Much as she wanted to talk to him some more, she didn't feel like anything else needed to be said. They had reached an understanding, and that was good enough. _One day, _she decided, _one day, when the war is over and I can finally leave home, I'll search for him and see if he's mastered earthbending yet. Then, we'll have ourselves a rematch. _The thought made her smile. They started out as rivals and ended up as friends…real friends. _Maybe…after we get out of this mess, I'll show him some basic moves to get him started._ _It's the least I can do._

She was just beginning to doze off on the floor of her cage when she heard Aang talking to her again. "Toph…" he said, "…they're back."

She leapt to her feet, grabbing the bars. "Who are they, and where are they?" she asked, angrily.

"It's Xin Fu and The Boulder. They're walking toward us."

"Hey, Old Moneybags!" she called. "Are you finally ready to get off your high ostrich horse and tell us what's going on?"

Xin Fu was in no mood for taunts. "Someone's coming here to get you. If they pay the ransom, I'll set you free. But if you don't behave yourself, missy, you'll regret it."

Toph could feel her cheeks burning with anger. "You think you're so tough? Why don't you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face?"

Xin Fu's fists clenched. "I'm not smiling."

"Toph!" Her father's voice…she was both glad and sorry to hear it. Glad, because it meant a way out of this mess. Sorry, because frankly, he was the last person she wanted right now.

"Here's your money. Now let them go." _Well, sounds like Snoozles finally woke up. _Not that she was ungrateful…in fact, she was much happier to hear his voice than Lao's.

Her cage began to lower to the floor…much too fast for her liking. She held on to the bars even tighter, determined not to scream in front of Xin Fu. It seemed that whoever was operating the cage was looking for one last jab at the Blind Bandit, because then the bottom of her cage suddenly opened, dumping her onto the floor. As irritated as she was with Xin Fu and the rest of the tournament host, she knew she couldn't make a scene in front of her father. She realized that Master Yu had come as well, so she went to them, walking out of the arena. _Just you wait, Xin Fu…_

"What about Aang?" Katara was saying. For a moment, Toph was confused. She had just assumed that they would release Aang too. So, why hadn't they?

"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar. Now, get out of my ring!"

Toph's heart began racing. _He's giving Aang to the Fire Lord?! _It would mean certain death for Aang…or, at the very least, a lifetime of suffering. She just couldn't accept either option. She hoped that Katara and Sokka would be able to fight them off, but she could feel rumblings throughout the ground, and she knew that the rest of the competitors had shown up. Katara and Sokka didn't stand a chance without her. Still, with her father there…_What should I do? It'll be impossible for me to slip away while we're walking. Maybe I can sneak away again later tonight, but Aang will be long gone by then…_

Katara's desperate voice reached her ears. "Toph! There are too many of them. We need an earthbender! We need _you!_"

Lao, Toph, and Master Yu stopped walking. Lao turned back toward Katara, speaking with anger and pain in his voice. "My daughter is blind. She is blind, and tiny, and helpless, and fragile! She cannot help you!"

His words cut Toph to the core. All the years of pent-up frustration began to rise out of her, and suddenly, she no longer cared what he thought. She pulled her hand out of his. "Yes. I can." She walked away from him with a new air of determination. Xin Fu was kidnapping the world's last hope for peace and selling him to the enemy. That was low enough, but what made it worse was the fact that Aang was her friend. _I'm through with trying to please Dad. Aang is in trouble, and I am going to help him._

She joined Sokka and Katara in the arena, and she could feel the tournament host walking out, carrying Aang with them. She sent a wall of earth in their direction, blocking their exit. "Let him go!" she shouted. "I beat you all before, and I'll do it again!"

"The Boulder takes issue with that comment!" _Oh, can your issues, Pebble. _

They began running toward her, all determined to pound her into the ground for good. Katara and Sokka stepped forward, ready to fight. "Wait!" Toph said, stopping them. She summoned all her years of earthbending, detecting each individual. Concentrating harder, she realized that Master Yu and her father had taken a seat in the stands, waiting to see how it would all play out. _It's time you knew, Dad…it's time for you to see just how powerful I really am. _She turned to Katara and Sokka. "They're mine!" she growled.

The two Water Tribe citizens stepped back in shock as Toph stomped her foot and raised her hands. Her opponents kept running, but she held steady, waiting for the right moment. They were almost upon her now…_Come and get it! _She slammed her foot into the ground, sending them flying backwards and raising a massive cloud of dust.

The blast had scattered her enemies, and they now wandered helplessly inside the dust cloud. Toph took her time, knowing which one she sought first. She soon came upon Fire Nation Man…her first opponent, and now, her first victim. He was startled when she suddenly appeared in front of him. _So we meet again, Chubby. How do you like being blind?_ Fire Nation Man recovered from his shock and readied his attack, stepping forward with one foot. _Hmm…_Toph thought. _This feels very familiar. _Sure enough, Fire Nation Man sent a dust tornado toward Toph. _I can't believe it…he's using the exact same move as the last time we fought! _It seemed only fitting, then, that she also use the same move. She retaliated with a large shard of earth, with the same result as last time…Fire Nation Man was thrown out of the ring. Toph smiled. _These people just never learn, do they?_

Toph gradually picked off her foes, finally coming to the one she had been purposefully saving for last: Xin Fu himself. Clearing away the dust, she thought, _You had me in full sight, Moneybags. Remember that once I defeat you. _Xin Fu and Toph circled around each other. Xin Fu eyed her with great caution…he had seen her fight many times, but he never thought he would fight against her. He had never forgotten her words from that night, almost two years ago: "You're forgetting something very important, Xin Fu. I'm better than you." It was true then, and it was true now.

Hoping to overwhelm her, he kicked a series of boulders at her. Toph quickly brought up a pyramid of earth to protect herself, then retaliated by sending half of her shield flying at him. Xin Fu was alert, however, so he jumped out of the way, allowing his hand to sink into the ground. He sent one last boulder flying at her, expecting to catch her off guard. _You underestimate me, Xin Fu…you always have. _After easily avoiding the boulder, she quickly slammed her fist into the ground, sending a huge shock wave at her long-time enemy.

He didn't even have time to blink.

Everyone was in shock. Sokka fainted dead away, while Aang and Katara ran toward Toph. "That was incredible!" they said. "You just single-handedly took out a bunch of thugs!" Toph, however, was thinking about something else. She could feel her father sitting in the stands, completely motionless. It was impossible to read his emotions.

_Man, _she thought. _I have some serious explaining to do._


	23. Chapter 23

The walk back to the estate was mostly a quiet one, save for Master Yu's constant praises and questions. He backed off once Toph made it clear that she had nothing to say to him. Lao, however, was completely silent. It was still impossible to read his emotions, and his silence made Toph extremely anxious. Her new friends sensed her concern and offered encouragement. "Don't worry, you'll be fine," Katara said. "Just tell them the truth." Toph appreciated their attempts to cheer her up, but she still dreaded the confrontation that she knew was coming.

Once back at the estate, Lao and Poppy took their seats while Toph stood in front of them. Aang, Katara, and Sokka came along for moral support, while a few curious servants lingered in and around the room. Lao crossed his arms and stared at his daughter. "Well?"

Toph took a deep breath. _This is it, _she thought. "Before I start, Dad, I want to ask that nobody say a word until I'm finished. Is that too much to ask?"

Her parents glanced at each other. Lao uncrossed his arms. "Alright, then, Toph. I will hear what you have to say."

She told them everything, starting back on that summer day, seven years earlier, when she had first wandered through the open gates. She went on to tell them of her late-night earthbending practices, her botched kidnapping by Teki and Shimo, and her alter-ego as the Blind Bandit. She did not tell them about her friendship with Yama, however…_Dad supported the slaughter of the badgermoles…I can never tell him that I was friends with one._ Several times during her story, she heard her mother gasp in surprise or felt her new friends shift with growing interest, but her father still stared at her, unmoving. _At least he's keeping his promise_. She finally finished by telling them of her bonding with Aang and his need for an earthbending teacher, as well as his offer to take her with them on their travels.

When she had finished, she paused, waiting for a response from her parents. Her father's words made her tremble. "So…for all these years, you've been lying to us. You've been making us think that you were our obedient daughter, when really, you've been living a secret life."

"Dad…I know it's hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me." She smiled, thinking about her victories at Earth Rumble Six. "I love fighting. I love being an earthbender!" She looked toward her parents, emphasizing her next words. "And I'm really, really good at it!" She bowed her head with respect. "I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old, and I've never had a real friend!"

She could feel her friends looking at each other in shocked sympathy. It was still impossible to tell what her parents were thinking. _Well, it's time to find out. _"So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me…"

For the first time since the story began, Lao finally moved in his seat. He relaxed, folding his hands in front of him. Toph found it reassuring. "Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph," he said. "It's made me realize something."

Toph looked up, hopefully. "It has?"

"Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom!" he declared. "From now on, you will be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day!"

Toph could hardly believe her ears. She clenched her hands and held them up, pleading. "But Dad…"

"We are doing this for your own good, Toph," Poppy interrupted. Toph couldn't believe it…she had at least expected her mother to understand, but instead, she was siding with her father. All of Toph's hopes were crushed; she hanged her head, defeated.

Lao stood, directing a servant to Aang and his friends. "Please escort the Avatar and his friends out. They are no longer welcome here."

Toph could only stand, devastated, as her new friends were banished from her home. Aang turned back and looked at her. "I'm sorry, Toph."

"I'm sorry, too," she replied. "Goodbye, Aang." Her tears started flowing as she heard the door slam. Her only friends were gone from her life…it was almost too much to take.

"Tomorrow," Lao growled, "I will hire some more guards to keep you in line. And I don't care what it takes…I will see to it that you never earthbend again."

Toph's head snapped up. "What? Dad, no!"

"That's final! I will not have you practicing that dangerous art ever again. Now, go to your room!"

He didn't have to tell her twice. She dashed to her room, face red with anger. They'd already taken her friends from her, and now they wanted to take away her earthbending, too? _No. I won't stand for it._

She reached her room and slammed the door shut, grabbing a knapsack and filling it with clothes. _If they won't let me earthbend here, then I'll do it somewhere else! _ She hoped that Aang hadn't left yet; she resolved to search for him. _And when I find him, I'll travel with him. I'll teach him earthbending. I'll even invade the Fire Nation with him! I don't care where we go, as long as it's away from here._

Toph had just finished changing into her earthbending gi when she heard the door slide open. _Crud, I've been caught…when on earth will I learn to focus on everything instead of just one thing? _There was no use trying to hide it; whoever was at the door had clearly seen what Toph's intentions were. "So," a voice said, "running away, are you?"

Toph was mildly relieved to realize that it was her mother at the doorway; she couldn't imagine having to face her father again. "Yes. I'm running away from here."

Poppy entered the room, sliding the door shut behind her. "I see. And where will you go?"

"I'm going with Aang. I'll teach him earthbending and help him defeat the Fire Lord. The Bei Fong family will finally have a war hero in it…you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Poppy gasped at her daughter's words. "So, you know about that..."

Toph nodded. "Why have you and Dad been telling everybody that you have a son in the army? Do I really embarrass you that much?"

"It was your father's idea…he said that in this case, a lie was more honorable than the truth."

Toph, shocked, turned away from her mother. "So, I really am just a crippled little embarrassment to him…"

"Don't say that, Toph. Your father and I love you so much."

"Then why are you keeping me chained up inside like an animal? You've already taken my friends away from me, and now you want to take away the only thing that's kept me sane all these years?"

"Sane? If anything, earthbending has clouded your judgment. You may think you're strong, but that's a real war they're fighting out there. The fight won't end when you fall out of the ring…the fight will end when you are dead."

Toph was silent, still turned away from her mother. Her mother had changed more than she'd realized...this woman who used to care so much about Toph's feelings now supported keeping her guarded at all times. Her words were true; war was indeed merciless. Toph knew this, but somehow, she still found that much more appealing than being cooped up inside for the rest of her life.

Poppy continued. "For once, Toph, listen to your father. Earthbending is a dangerous art, much too dangerous for a young blind girl."

Toph whirled around to face her mother. "_Too dangerous?! _What do I have to do to prove to you people…I'm not a helpless little blind girl! I can take care of myself!"

Her words fell on deaf ears. "Just go to bed, Toph. You'll feel better in the morning. Put away all thoughts of joining the Avatar. Honestly…you could die out there."

At these last words, Toph finally snapped. "WELL, I WOULD RATHER DIE OUT THERE THAN BE STUCK IN HERE!!!"

With that, Toph turned around and dove out the window. Poppy ran to the window just in time to see Toph disappearing into a hole in the ground. By the time she had climbed out the window, the hole had closed up, and her daughter was already tunneling away from the Bei Fong estate.

Poppy sank to her knees where the hole had just been, calling out with all her might. "Toph, wait! Please, come back!"

It was too late. Her daughter was gone.


	24. Chapter 24

Toph heard her mother's cries of distress and cringed at the sound of them. _I'm sorry, Mom, but this is my life. _She moved along as fast as she could, fearing that her father would send the guards and servants after her. When she felt that she was a safe distance away from the estate, she popped back out of the ground, deciding to continue above ground. Tunneling was safer, but running would be quicker…and she just couldn't afford to waste any time. Aang and his friends had been gone a long time; she could only hope that they hadn't gone far.

She ran to town. She wasn't sure where they had gone, but it was a good place to start looking…shops and stalls remained open late into the night and were perfect for stocking up on supplies. _And if Sokka always eats as much as he did at dinner, then they'll need all the supplies they can get. _

Toph ignored the street hawkers and concentrated on the many vibrations she detected. It was very challenging, trying to decipher a single person's footsteps from the countless others she felt, but she was determined not to give up. She stood still, finally detecting a set of footsteps that stood out from the rest. Light-footed, lightweight..._I'd know those footsteps anywhere…_

"Hey! It's the Blind Bandit!"

Upon realization of her presence, a large group of her fans eagerly ran toward her. Toph rolled her eyes, annoyed; she had often dreamed of being swamped by fans, but now, it was the last thing she wanted. Without saying a word, she made a swift motion with one arm. Before her fans knew it, the ground underneath them had dropped, trapping them inside a deep hole. Ignoring their cries, Toph concentrated even harder, seeking out those footsteps that could only belong to Aang. Sure enough, he was walking away from the town and up a hill. With him were two other people, and they were walking toward a massive six-footed creature. _That must be the Appa that Aang mentioned. He must have sent him off to sleep in the hills instead of sleeping in our yard._

Finally armed with information, she freed her fans from their trap and ran as fast as she could, weaving through the crowds and ignoring their angry shouts. Once, she reached an especially dense part of the crowd. _Oh, come on…I don't have time for this! _Creating a wave of earth, she shoved them all aside and ran past them. "Sorry, but it's an emergency!" she called behind her shoulder. Reaching the hill, she discovered with panic that everybody had boarded Appa. _No…please don't leave without me! _Lungs burning, she summoned all her remaining energy and somehow covered the final stretch even faster. She reached Appa just in time, panting hard.

"Toph!" Aang said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"My dad changed his mind," Toph heard herself saying. "He said I was free to travel the world." She hated lying to her new friends, but they all…especially Aang…seemed to have strong moral convictions and would probably not want her to disobey her parents.

"Well…" Sokka said, "…we'd better get out of here, before your dad changes his mind again."

"Good idea," Toph said, relieved. They obviously didn't buy her little fib, but they still accepted her into the group, and that was good enough.

"You're going to be a great teacher, Toph!" Aang said, overjoyed. His words sparked an idea in Toph's mind.

"Speaking of which," she said, slyly, "I want to show you something."

Aang hopped down from Appa's head. "Okay!" Toph waited, smirking with mischief, until she felt him land on the ground. Kicking with one foot, she sent a surge of earth in his direction, sending him flying into a tree. She smiled with satisfaction.

"Now we're even." She directed her next comment at Sokka. "Umm, I'll take the belt back," she said, meaning the champion's belt. She held up her arm, waiting for him to hand it to her. She was startled when, instead of handing it to her, he tossed it down, completely missing her hand and striking her in the head instead. "Ow!"

"…Sorry," Sokka said, sheepishly.

When everything had settled down, Toph climbed aboard Appa with her new friends. She was surprised to learn that the bison was in fact a flying bison, but once the initial shock had worn off, she calmly sat, resting her chin on the edge of the saddle.

She was finally free...she could hardly believe it. At the time, she had no idea just how much her life would change from then on. Their little gang would face many challenges and dangers, as well as countless times of laughter and fun. They would know both heartening victory and crushing defeat, both supportive allies and formidable enemies. But for now, all she knew was that she was among friends…friends that accepted her for who she was and would be there for her, no matter what. Toph Bei Fong closed her eyes and smiled, feeling the cool breeze against her face.

Freedom. It felt wonderful.

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Author's note: Hey guys. In case you couldn't tell from the (somewhat cheesy) ending, this is the last chapter. HOWEVER, don't stop reading yet...just because this is the last chapter doesn't mean that the story is over. I feel like there's one more thing that needs to be resolved...so, I have an epilogue coming soon. :)


	25. Epilogue

Author's note::sniff:: All good things must come to an end. Since this is finals week, I decided to go ahead and wrap this up, so I don't get too distracted (as if...now I'll just be distracted by something else).

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Walking down the hallway, Poppy paused as she passed Toph's bedroom. Every day, she told herself that she wouldn't do it…and yet every day, she gave in. She slowly slid the door open and stepped into the empty room. Everything about the room, from Toph's bed to her closet full of robes, brought Poppy much pain and grief. _Why do I keep coming in here if I know how it will make me feel?_

It had taken Poppy quite a while to accept the fact that her daughter was gone. In the days after her departure, Poppy walked into Toph's room to wake her up in the morning…only to remember that she wasn't there, and the pain was renewed. She couldn't go anywhere without being reminded of Toph…she accepted the fact that Toph was gone, but she would never get used to it. She turned away from the room and closed the door, vowing to remind the servants to keep everything tidy in there. Dust had begun to settle on the furniture, and Poppy wanted the room to be clean…just in case Toph came back. It was an empty hope, she knew, but it was better than no hope at all.

Gloom had settled over the Bei Fong estate. Poppy made a cup of tea and looked out the window, saddened to see Lao sitting at the open gate, like he did every other day. Several weeks had passed since Xin Fu and Master Yu returned to the estate, with the news that Toph had become even more powerful than before, and there was no way they could contain her. Lao had done some serious thinking since then…he dismissed all the guards and sat in front of the open gate every single day, waiting to see if Toph would come back on her own.

Poppy sighed and walked out to him, tea in hand. He didn't take his eyes off the road. "Lao," she said, "there's no need for you to punish yourself like this."

"I was a fool, Poppy," he said, quietly. "I spent her entire life trying to be her guardian, when I should have been a father to her. I never got to know her, like a real father should." He looked down in shame, remembering how upset Toph had been on the night she left. "I wasted twelve years."

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "We share that blame, then…she was born blind, but she could see better than any of us."

Silence passed between them for a few minutes. "What if…" Lao asked, "…she never comes back?"

"She can take care of herself, Lao…"

"I know that now…but she was determined to join the Avatar, and the Avatar was killed at Ba Sing Se. When we got the news, I thought she would come back, but she hasn't. She's still out there somewhere, and we don't even know…" He couldn't bring himself to say it, but they had to face the truth. Their only daughter was fighting in a war, and they had no way of knowing whether she was alive or not.

Poppy patted his shoulder. "She's a brave little girl, and she's strong. We _will _see her again, Lao."

"I hope you're right."

Nothing more could be said. Poppy patted his shoulder and walked back to the house. Lao watched her as she left…_She was a much better parent than I was_, he thought, sadly. _She always believed in Toph._

Lao turned his eyes back to the road, but he was distracted by something in the sky. A red spot in the sky was growing larger as it came closer. Lao recognized it as a hawk, and as it neared, he realized that it was a Fire Nation messenger hawk. _That's strange…why would a messenger hawk come here?_ The poor thing was exhausted from its long trip, and it rested on the back of Lao's chair. He retrieved the message from the compartment on the hawk's back, looking for an address. "Bei Fong Estate", it said on the paper. So, it wasn't a mistake…

Curious, Lao unrolled the message and began to read. He nearly fell out of his chair at the first words. "Dear Mom and Dad…" A message from Toph!

It took him a few minutes to recover from the surprise. For a moment, he wondered if he and Poppy should read it together, but he decided that he could not wait. He took a deep breath, anxious to see what his daughter had to say.

"Dear Mom and Dad,

Katara is helping me by writing down everything I want to say. And since I have a lot to say, she's got her work cut out for her.

I can't believe that it's only been a few months since I left you. I admit it…when I first left, it felt wonderful. I was very angry with you both, and running away was more than just a way of following my dreams…I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt me. At the time, it felt good and right, but afterwards, I felt guilty. I tried not to think about it, but recent events have forced me to think about it.

I'm writing to you to ask for your forgiveness. I held a lot of anger toward you for keeping me locked inside, but I've let all that go…I realize now that you were only doing it because you loved me and didn't want me to be hurt. I've forgiven you, so now, I want to ask you to forgive me. I'm sorry that I kept my life a secret from you. I don't know how things would have played out if you knew about my skills from the beginning, but I do know that it was wrong for me to lie to you. You have my forgiveness, now I just want yours.

If you're still angry, then be angry at me…please don't blame my friends for my mistakes. They mean more to me than anything in the world, and we've already been through a lot together. In case you couldn't tell by the hawk, we're in a risky position. We have a dangerous mission coming up, and I'm not going to lie to you…we could all die out here. We all know it, and we've already had some close calls. However, I regret nothing…I knew what I was getting into when I ran away. The world needs us, and we will fight for it at any cost, even our lives.

That's not to say that I'm not afraid…to be honest, sometimes this mission terrifies me. But I will keep going. No matter what you may have heard, _he _is alive. And as long as he is alive, then hope is, also.

I love you both. It took me a while to realize it, but…I always have.

Your daughter,

Toph."

Lao noticed that the signature was written very sloppily, as compared to the rest of the letter. Next to the signature was a small note: "Katara wrote the whole letter for me, but I asked her to help me sign my name myself. I hope it doesn't look too bad."

Lao couldn't keep the tears back any longer. Such brave words, coming from his little girl. He looked to the sky, calling out with his heart.

_I'm proud of you…my little earthbender._

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Author's note again: Well, there you have it! Thank you all for your reviews...seriously, you guys are what kept me going. I never thought this thing would go as long as it did. Thanks to all of you for your support, and thanks for making this my most successful fanfic yet. I'll be writing more in the future, so I hope to see you then!


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